


The dish ran away with the spoon

by juiceboxknox



Category: Naruto
Genre: Acting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Feels, Aromantic, Best Friends, Betrayal, Character Death, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Demisexuality, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Family Feels, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Innocence, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Romantic Soulmates, Sappy, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Secret Admirer, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 37,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26505721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juiceboxknox/pseuds/juiceboxknox
Summary: SLOW BURN. Childhood-to-adult story. Dysfunctional relationships. Friends-to enemies-to-friends-to-lovers. Sasuke is a genius but is socially stunted. He is also an emotional wreck and trying to keep things together but is always on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He has no friends and doesn't speak to anyone until the teacher switches up the seating arrangements and he gets a new partner. Enter Naruto Namikaze. The kid won't leave him alone and wants nothing more than to be his friend. On a school trip to Hawaii, he learns about a devastating secret that one of his classmates who fell down the stairs and broke their neck--wasn't an accident. Someone deliberately pushed them down the stairs. Worse. Other classmates know about it and are keeping it a secret. Sasuke is thrown into a world where he knows this terrible secret and can't figure out who to trust, who not to trust, and whether or not he should tell what happened or not. Secrets and games and lies oh my!
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 14
Kudos: 21





	1. One bright day in the middle of the night

#  **One bright day in the middle of the night**

“What are you doing...Sasuke?”

It was the question that temporarily snapped him out of his psychosis. It was the wrong question to ask. He could hear the throbbing of his heart in his rib cage. His stomach was empty and hollow. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate. His mouth was dry and his tongue felt like steel wool. Even if he wanted to he wasn’t able to speak. He couldn’t give an answer that explained his own psychosis. It wouldn’t make sense to the mind of a layperson, an outsider. 

He knew who the voice belonged to without having to confirm and that infuriated him. 

‘ _Not you! Anyone but you!_ ’ 

It was the last person he wanted to see him like this. It was partly his fault. It only made him more agitated. If he were to create a pie chart outlining all the reasons that drove him to this… ‘ _he_ ’ would be a piece of the pie. 

Time. What was the time? He was running out of time. His mother was going to be at school to pick him up at any moment. She was probably already walking through the school entrance to fetch her prized possession. His fear intensified. His eyes focused on the second hand that whirled around and around the face of the clock. Time was speeding up. It was working against him. If he didn’t do it now he wasn’t going to be able to do it at all. 

“Sasuke?” 

He could hear footsteps approaching him. It sounded like high heels click-clacking against the cement floor of the hallway. His eyes finally looked up to see cerulean eyes the color of a painter's rendition of the sky widening. ‘ _He_ ’ was standing outside in the hallway walking towards the music room. It wasn’t his mother. He tried to tell himself but the image of his mother was superimposed on him and they became the same entity. 

He found himself gasping for breath. Every breath he took sent sharp pains through his lungs and it spidered out until his whole chest felt inflamed. He gasped as every breath took more and more energy and he was afraid he wouldn’t have the strength to follow through. He felt sweat sting his eyes. He winced. The more he looked at ‘ _his_ ’ eyes the more he took comfort in them. The water in his eyes looked warm and comforting like a crystal bay. Although those blue eyes kept shifting into penetrating brown eyes. 

His four fingers were placed between the door’s two hinges. His first finger knuckles pressed against the frame of the door. His other hand was pressed against the door. It was simple really and in the moment it made perfect sense. No. It was the only choice really. He didn’t have any more options. It was this or jumping off the school building and the door to the rooftop was locked. He was going to slam his hand in the door and break his fingers. He stared back at his hand in the spine of the doorway. He’d break his hand, and live. When he thought about that and the relief that would follow his face flushed and he smiled. It had been so long since he found himself smiling. Really smiling. He could feel his lips spreading as his smile grew like weeds taking over and suffocating a garden. His cheeks felt warm and he felt the warmness spreading across the entirety of his face. 

“NO!” 

He couldn’t turn away from those comforting blue eyes. It was what gave him the last shred of strength. He made eye contact with him the whole time. He slammed his entire body up against the door. The door slammed shut. When the door shut he was forced to break eye contact. What followed was a beautiful cacophony of sounds. It was the sound of cracking bones snapping. The sound of screaming. Even though ' _his_ ' screams were muffled because he was on the other side of the door.

He still heard ‘ _him_ ’ screaming. Just fine nonetheless. 

He couldn’t help it. He started laughing. It was so ridiculous having been found out. It made sense. Nothing could ever go as planned. He was the one with the broken fingers so why was ‘ _he_ ’ carrying on as if it were ‘ _his_ ’ fingers that were shattered and useless. He turned the door handle and opened the door and there he was squatting in the hallway. He had stopped screaming and his face was pallid and his eyes as haunting as a snow moon. 

He pulled his busted up hand out from the spine of the door. He was shaking uncontrollably. He lost function in his fingers. He couldn’t even make them twitch. He stared down at his handiwork. His smile grew and grew. He stared at his fingers. He watched them slowly engorge on blood. They were bent at the first knuckle and completely disconnected from the joint. This would work. He hoped he lost function in his hand altogether. 

Now he wouldn’t have to perform. He stumbled and fell to one knee. He couldn’t stop smiling. This was his biggest accomplishment to date. His greatest performance. 

He stared back at the blonde who was now rushing to his side. If only he knew then he would be celebrating with him instead of fretting. 

‘ _So annoying_.’ 

He heard his mother screaming. Her voice pulled him back to reality. She demanded what happened. He froze. It was all too perfect. He’d kill turn birds one stone...and then he’d swallow the stone and destroy all evidence. He played his part well. 

“He did it, mom! Naruto...slammed my hand in the door.” 

***** 

He tried to remember when it started. It was hard to pinpoint the exact catalyst and maybe there wasn’t one. It was a bunch of little things, numbered in sequential order, however, scattered across oblivion. Like a paint by number. If all the tiny million pieces were found and painted it would create the perfect case study of a beautiful disaster. 

There were key vital characters in his life. ‘ _She_ ’ took being a Tiger Mom to another plateau. She didn’t want to create geniuses, she wanted to create prodigies to live up to the Uchiha name. 

If he just listened and responded like Itachi had things might have gone easier for him. It was formulated into his earliest memories. She had stitched it with a needle and thread into his skull. Obedience. He had absolutely no control over his life. He was just a puppet that she moved around. 

In school he had to pick an extracurricular activity. It was an illusion of choice. The only extracurricular activity was the student council, and he had to be a class leader. After school, he had to go to cram school. There he’d study and reinforce what he learned in school. He had to pick an instrument. He wanted to play guitar instead he was forced to play the piano. He was enrolled in piano lessons. It was fun in the beginning. Until he started going to competitions. He had to win these competitions. If he didn’t. He would be forced to eat dish soap. Following several instances of vomiting and gagging on Palmolive dish soap he made sure to never lose a competition again. 

He had to be number one in all subjects. He didn’t just need great scores he needed perfect scores. He needed to be valedictorian. He was meant to be extraordinary. A model student. Polite. Well-mannered. Impeccable. Groomed to go into an Ivy League university. If he wasn’t number one he might as well just die. 

His schedule was pre-planned and color-coded. There were a series of chauffeurs shuffling him from one scheduled thing to another to another to another. Early on he noticed something. In elementary school, while he was eating lunch alone, he didn’t have any friends. The reason he noticed was the whispering of his classmates. Focusing solely on academics he had been socially stunted. He made the connection. He was a social outcast. It wasn’t like he went out of his way to ignore his classmates. They had never approached him and he had never approached them. The distance between them grew and grew until it became more and more awkward to reach out. So he didn’t. He heard whispering. 

“Should we invite him to sit with us?”

“What? No. He’s a freak.” 

“He doesn’t talk to anyone. All he does is suck up to the teachers.” 

“He probably looks down on us.”

“Let’s leave the little freak alone.”

What followed was cruel laughter. He wasn’t able to see color anymore. Everything became monotone in shades of whites, greys, and blacks. All around him he could see the paint drain from the walls and pool on the floor. 

He walked through the front door to find his mother standing there. Her face swollen with contempt. She walked over and smacked him across his face. Oh, there was another color he could see. Blood. He could see flecks of blood splatter across the floor and pinpricks. He felt his lip bust open. 

“How dare you embarrass me!” She screamed. He could see specks of saliva fly out of her mouth. He didn’t know what he did. His hand flew up to his stinging cheek and blistering lip. He looked up at her through the strands of his hair. “I received a telephone call from your homeroom teacher. He’s very concerned with your well-being. He says you don’t socialize with any of your peers and that you look like something is upsetting you. He wanted to know how things were going at home.” 

He didn’t move. He didn’t understand. He had perfect grades. He was well behaved, well mannered, polite. He did all the classroom chores and helped the teachers. She grabbed a fistful of hair and jerked him towards her. He knew it was rude not to look at her when she was talking to him. Ah. It was his face. It was too late. He figured out his mistake too late. 

“Tell me Sasuke after all your father and I have provided you. Why are you so damn ungrateful? Why are you so unhappy that you have teachers calling and harassing me...and asking me why I’m such a bad mother?” 

She began thrashing him around when he didn’t speak. His mind went blank and he detached. The world all around him vanished. The next thing he learned was how to control his face. He was forced to sit in front of a mirror and practice making different facial expressions. 

“Again! Smile again! Again...do it properly!” 

The more he messed up and didn’t form his face the exact way she wanted him to he was forced to go longer and longer. So he learned quickly what expressions to wear and what expressions not to wear in school. 

*****

He had perfected the smile and was always mindful of his facial expressions by the time he entered middle school. He needed to give off the air of happiness and contentment. Things started to calm down. He preferred being in solitude. He was an introvert. He didn’t realize it was the calm before the storm. He was sitting in the second row next to the window when the homeroom teacher entered holding a piece of paper with squares and names written inside each square. It was a seating chart. It was the start of the new semester. So it was a new seating chart.

“Good morning class. Today we’ll be changing seats. Here is the new seating arrangement and your new assigned partners.”

Much to Sasuke’s surprise he didn’t change seats. He remained in the second row by the window. The seat next to him which was empty was suddenly taken. A scruffy blonde appeared and sat down. He didn’t know his name. He smiled politely nonetheless. 

“I’m Naruto Namikaze...I guess we’re new partners, Sasuke.” The blonde spoke with a smile. The blonde knew his name. He stared at him. He didn’t know who he was at all. 

He didn’t know how to answer. He looked at the homeroom teacher and saw a small smirk on his face. He continued to stare at the homeroom teacher as if expecting an explanation. The way the teacher was avoiding him solidified he knew, and was doing this on purpose. The teacher grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing on the board. He ignored the blonde and soon he’d forget his name. It was only a matter of time. 

“Everyone get your mathematics textbooks out and turn to page 101 for today’s lesson.” 

“I forgot my textbook at home, can I share yours?” Naruto whispered. He jabbed his arm with a pencil. He scrunched up his face and stared at him. Maybe it was going to be harder to ignore him than he thought. He didn’t need to share his textbook. He already memorized it. He placed it on his desk. 

“Don’t you want to share it?” Naruto asked. He took the textbook and placed it in the middle of their desks. 

“I already memorized it.” He spoke and pushed the textbook to Naruto’s desk. 

“Wow...you’re amazing, huh?” 

He stared at him and smiled politely before turning forward. He had completely forgotten about him until lunchtime. From the corner of his eye, he saw a group of kids approach him. They asked if he wanted to play soccer as it was the first day of nice weather. He did. He watched as the blonde stood up and walked away with them. 

“See you later Sasuke.” Naruto spoke from the doorway. He looked up and stared at the blonde. He watched him wave at him and leave. He furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t understand why he did that and didn’t think much of it. He was probably just being polite. 

He always ate his lunch at his desk. He pulled out a book he was required to read from the neverending reading list his mother posted on the refrigerator. It wasn’t really a book but a play. He thought about correcting her. Hamlet. It infuriated him. He couldn’t identify with anyone except maybe Ophelia, and only in the sense that she entered a fit of madness and drowned. He always thought about how he was going to die. 

The windows in the classroom were open to let the fresh air in. The air smelled sweet and flowery. He heard laughter coming from the courtyard outside. He turned to see the blonde. His deskmate. He was playing soccer. He watched as the blonde scored a goal. He watched as he was congratulated. He had always seen him surrounded by people. He never saw him alone. He wondered what was different about the two of them. He wondered what made them so different. Why he was eating lunch alone while he played soccer with the rest of their class outside. 

It didn’t bother him. He turned around and continued reading. It was pointless to think about these things. He focused on the play instead and spent the rest of the lunch period in the Shakespearan world. 

***** 

“Sasuke can you bring these papers to the classroom and pass them out?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

He held the stack of papers. It was their mathematics homework for tonight. He walked towards the classroom. He didn’t enter. He sensed something. A shift in the air. It was heavy. A voice told him not to enter. To hide outside and listen. He heard something. He stopped outside the door and listened. 

“Wanna hang out after school, Naruto? I got a new video game we can play.” 

“Can’t. I’m on cleaning duty.” 

“You’re on cleaning duty with Sasuke though.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Just ditch. Everyone knows if you’re partnered with Sasuke you can just ditch. Remember? Hinata never had to do cleaning duty.”

He felt his breath hitch. There was a long pause. Something changed inside the classroom. Even though he was hidden outside the classroom something happened inside that shifted the atmosphere. He could feel a negative vibration being emitted out...something electrical. The silence grew and he almost used the excuse to re-enter the classroom with the mathematics homework. There was a voice in the back of his mind warning him not to. The voice was screaming at him to stay put and if he entered now during this deafening silence he was going to be eaten alive. 

“Sorry. I’m not a juvenile delinquent like you. If I’m on cleaning duty then I’m on cleaning duty.” Naruto breathed. His voice shook slightly. 

“Tch. Whatever. Hang out with that loser all afternoon instead of us. Don’t cry to me afterward when you have a boring ass afternoon with the wet blanket.” 

*****

“You don’t have to stay.” He told Naruto when it was just the two of them alone in the classroom. He told every partner he had they didn’t have to stay with him to clean the classroom. 

“I’m on cleaning duty too.” 

“You can go. I don’t mind cleaning by myself.” He really didn’t. He preferred solitude. 

“I don’t mind cleaning either. I’m going to stay so you better stop trying to get me to leave, alright?” Naruto responded forcefully. There was a hint of agitation in his voice. 

He didn’t know what else to say so he didn’t say anything else. He glanced to see Naruto was putting the chairs on top of each desk. He stared at his expression. He didn’t look bothered to be here. He didn’t look annoyed or anything even if his voice sounded annoyed. He couldn’t figure out what expression he was wearing. It looked as if he was in deep thought. Like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. He decided to ignore him. 

He walked over to the erasers and took them. He held them out the window and began beating them together. A plume of chalkdust wafted up just as the wind picked up. The chalkdust hit him in the face and he inhaled just as it happened. He started coughing and choking. He could feel the dust filling his lungs and it caused him to cough louder. The chalk dust coated his nose and throat. 

“Are you okay?” Naruto asked. He nodded his head vigorously and tried to shoo him away. 

His eyes watered up and he could feel his nose start to run. His sinuses were triggered. He reached in his pocket for a handkerchief forgetting he had put it in the dirty laundry last night and it was still in the dryer at home. He felt his sinuses running even more rampant to spite him forgetting his handkerchief. 

“Here...take mine.” Naruto said and handed him a handkerchief. 

“Thank you.” He said politely. He blew his nose and dabbed his eyes. He tried handing it back but Naruto waved his hand.

“You can keep it. I have another in my desk.”

“I’ll wash it and return it to you.” 

Naruto shrugged as if he was fine either way. Naruto turned and began cleaning the chalkboard with a rag. He looked down to see the handkerchief in his hand. There were initials sewed into the corner of the handkerchief. N.N. Naruto Namikaze. It looked as if someone hand-sewed it. His fingers brushed over the initials. He looked at Naruto’s back as he stretched to clean the chalkboard. It was the first time he felt angry. He stuffed the handkerchief in his pocket and went to the garbage pail. 

“You’re taking the garbage out, do you need any help?” Naruto asked as he reached the door.

“No.” It was a sharp no of finality. “I can do it by myself.” 

He held onto the pail and dumped the garbage into the dumpster in the back of the school. He took out the handkerchief and stared at it. Without thinking he threw it into the dumpster and started walking away. He barely made it around the corner when panic started to set in. He felt hot and itchy. His stomach hurt. He didn’t expect guilt to hit him like a semi. He stopped, spun around, and ran towards the dumpster. He climbed on top of the pail and looked inside the dumpster. He saw the handkerchief. He leaned over and stretched his hand. It was just out of reach. He leaned over the edge, he balanced on one leg and stretched.

Just when he touched the cotton fabric he slipped off the pail. He fell face-first into the dumpster. The landing was surprisingly soft. He was assaulted with a multitude of different smells. It was the smell of spoiled milk, rotten eggs, rotten meat, wet dog, and methanol. All the horrible smells he had experienced his entire life all in one overpowering stench. It assaulted his eyes and nose and mouth. It burned his throat and stung his lungs. He fell into something wet and sticky and two trash bags burst open. 

He pushed himself up and started gagging. He grabbed the handkerchief and climbed out of the dumpster. He wasn’t graceful at all. He was too preoccupied with not throwing up and getting out of the dumpster he stumbled and fell face-first out. His mind was whirling and his face reddened. He landed hard on his wrist. He was gagging and wheezing for breath as he stumbled away from the dumpster. He grabbed the pail and ran the rest of the way back to school. His nose was running again and he took the handkerchief out and blew his nose again.

It was a mistake. The smell of the dumpster had infiltrated the fabric of the handkerchief. He was assaulted again by the dumpster smell. He wasn’t strong enough. He ran into the nearest bathroom on the first floor, dropped the pail on the ground, and entered the first stall. He made it just in time before throwing up. 

When he was done he stumbled out and looked at himself in the mirror. He was flushed, smelly, and parts of his uniform were stained. He barely recognized who was staring back. He quickly washed his hands, face, and neck. He looked back at his appearance. The boy in the mirror wasn’t smiling. He tried to smile politely but he couldn’t. He looked deranged. His hair was wild, his clothes stained. His mouth twisted. He gave up on smiling. His composure was all but lost. He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. It would have to suffice. He grabbed the garbage pail and returned to the classroom.

“There you are...I was beginning to think you ditched me.” Naruto said half-heartedly. He leaned against the broom and smiled at him. He blinked, noticing his appearance. “What happened to you...and what’s that smell?” He stepped back and away from him. 

“Nothing!” He was too embarrassed to even speak the words. He was flustered. He slammed the pail down and put a new garbage bag inside. “Just get back to work!” He knew he smelled Naruto didn’t have to point it out. 

They cleaned the rest of the classroom in silence. He couldn’t even bring himself to look at him. His face was too red. It didn’t take nearly as long to finish cleaning. It was done in half the time it would have taken him. They walked towards the school gate together. He could see him fidgeting the entire time. 

“I’m sorry if I upset you.” Naruto apologized when they reached the front gate. “If I did anything to upset you earlier I mean. I’m sorry.” 

He couldn’t bring himself to look at him. He didn’t say anything. Not even goodbye. He just turned the corner and left. He heard footsteps behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Naruto was following him. He panicked. 

“Why are you following me?” He demanded. 

“I’m not...I live this way.” 

He turned back around. He felt himself grow more and more embarrassed. He felt paranoid with Naruto walking behind him. It felt like he was being followed by a predator. Especially when it was so windy. Naruto was downwind and he didn’t want him smelling how bad he smelled. He knew exactly what he smelled like. He stopped walking and cemented himself on the sidewalk.

“Go on ahead of me.” He said and stepped out of the way. He held out his arm to usher him forward. It made him too nervous to have him behind him. This was the only way. 

“Ah...okay…we can walk together?”

“No. No. You go first!” 

“O-okay.” Naruto answered and began walking away. 

He walked approximately six feet behind Naruto. He didn’t know if Naruto was purposefully walking slow or if he was walking too fast. He kept his eyes on the sidewalk. He only glanced up a few times to see he was still there. It was perfectly timed because everytime he looked up he caught Naruto’s blue eyes staring over his shoulder at him. Embarrassed, he looked back down at the sidewalk. He didn’t know that they lived in the same neighborhood. He stopped when Naruto stopped. He watched as Naruto turned around. He froze. He didn’t want to talk to him anymore. 

“Well. I live here. I’ll be leaving first. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Naruto said and disappeared into a gated house. He blinked. He didn’t know that Naruto’s family was so well off that they lived in a similar estate. He glanced at the house number plaque on the gated wall. He sighed in relief and walked the rest of the way home. It felt like a weight was lifted. 

That night he gathered whatever dirty clothes including his dirty dumpster smelling uniform and tossed in the handkerchief in the washer before he climbed into the bath. There he soaked, and scrubbed, and washed himself until he didn’t smell bad anymore. He emerged from the bath composed. A clean boy. He glanced at himself in the mirror and smiled. The boy in the mirror was able to smile just as he was taught. The kind of charismatic smile his mother taught him to wear. He felt better. 

The only thing he noticed was the stinging and swelling of his right wrist. He decided to bandage it up on his own. He knew his mother would want to know how he hurt himself and he was too exhausted to come up with a lie. It wasn’t his dominant hand so he was fine. He popped a few aspirin for the pain and went to sleep. 

*****

He arrived at school later than usual. He wasn’t able to sleep well, he tossed and turned all night, and slept through his alarm. He overheard everyone talking about the mathematics homework and saw everyone comparing answers when he entered the classroom. He sat at his desk. The internal panic button went off. He had forgotten to do the homework. He was too worried about making sure he had laundered the handkerchief, taking care of his wrist, and thinking about cleaning duty he completely forgot about the homework. 

This wasn’t like him at all. He felt dizzy like he was on the verge of fainting. He didn’t know how to process. He pulled the mathematics homework out of his school bag and sure enough everything was blank. He stared at the blank sheet wishing he could manifest a completed homework assignment. His heart thumped. He felt hot. He could feel sweat forming on his forehead. 

“Did you forget to do the homework?” Naruto asked in a low voice. It was obvious the panic on his face when he looked up. “Here, just copy mine before the teacher comes.” 

He didn’t want to get a 0. He could only imagine the repercussions that would have if his mother found out. His imagination never exceeded expectations as his mother always found new ways of ensuring he wouldn’t get another mark less than perfect. He didn’t know what he was doing. He took out his mechanical pencil and began copying the answers. He had never done this before either. Copied homework. His mind went completely blank and he was running on autopilot. It was better than getting a zero. He managed to finish just as the teacher came in and greeted them good morning. 

He exhaled as Naruto took his homework and put it on his desk. It took a while for him to calm down. He smiled politely and greeted the teacher when he collected their homework. Inside he thought he was suffocating. 

*****

During lunch he noticed that Naruto didn’t leave his desk. Even when the same group of kids approached him and asked him to eat outside with them. 

“Aren’t you going to come eat with us, Naruto?” 

“I’m going to eat lunch here. I stayed up too late playing video games. I barely have the energy to keep my eyes open.”

“We’ll join you.”

“Mhm.” 

Sasuke froze again. He glanced to see Naruto had pulled out his lunch. He had a bowl of sesame soba noodles. It wasn’t just Naruto near him nearly half the class had pulled up desks and chairs and began eating around them. He felt like he was suffocating. He wanted to leave. He turned to leave and noticed he was landlocked. People were all around. They were laughing and talking about making plans tomorrow to go to the cinema to watch the new horror movie that came out. A slasher.

“Seems fun. Sasuke are you in?” Naruto asked casually. He said the invitation so freely some of their classmates stopped talking and stared. He said it as if they were old friends and this was a common occurrence that happened every weekend. The silence was unsettling. His ears stung. He heard a girl snort in disgust. 

“N-” He was about to decline when he was interrupted.

“You wouldn’t want me to tell the teacher what happened this morning would you?” Naruto asked with a smirk. He balked. Naruto was blackmailing him. He could feel his face turning red. He didn’t want the teacher to find out he cheated. It was the worst outcome. His mind filled with worse possible outcomes. 

“Whoa...what happened this morning?” One of their male classmates asked with a smirk. Naruto shrugged and didn’t answer. 

“Why don’t you meet me outside my house at noon tomorrow, Sasuke? We’ll go together.” Naruto continued with a satisfied smile. 

“He knows where you live?” A loud female asked. He was sure this was the same female who snorted. 

“Yeah we walked home together yesterday after school. We live in the same neighborhood.” Naruto answered. His voice was so casual it was calming. 

“Oh. You had cleaning duty together.” The same female stated. She spoke as if that was the only reason why. 

Sasuke was speechless again. He didn’t understand why it was so difficult to speak to his classmates. He shifted in his seat. He wasn’t hungry anymore. His wrist had swollen over the night. He tried to focus on the pain and ignore Naruto but it didn’t last. His mind kept replaying Naruto’s invitation, solidifying plans by telling him to meet outside his house. At noon. Tomorrow. 

He had Naruto’s handkerchief in his pocket. He thought about returning it to him. He figured now wasn’t the time. He’d return it to him later when he’s alone so he could appropriately thank him. 

*****

“Where are you going?” His mother asked when he reached the front door.

“To the library to study. I need a change of scenery.” He lied. 

He wasn’t expecting her to believe it. He even had his school bag with him. A black messenger bag over his shoulder. If she’d sent him back to his room he would be okay with it. He could just tell Naruto he couldn’t get permission. He knew she’d see right through it. He was afraid she was going to see he was having too much time on his hands and sign him up for another cram school, or extracurricular activity she had been mentioning sport lessons the past month. 

“Just be back by dinner. Your father is coming home.”

“He...is?” He asked. He couldn’t hide the happiness in his voice. 

“You know I don’t like repeating myself.” She stated as if she was annoyed by his excitement, and walked away. 

He didn’t know why he was even going. He thought about just walking by Naruto’s house and going to the library like he said he was going to. To his surprise, he saw Naruto waiting outside his house. He stopped walking. Was he waiting for him? It was now impossible to just walk by. He thought about turning around and walking in the opposite direction. It was too late. He was spotted. 

“Hey...Sasuke!” Naruto greeted him loudly and with a wave. “You did come. I’m so glad!” He was so glad he came? Naruto’s smile appeared genuine. It was bright and warm. 

“I...was on my way to the library.” He said. He figured he’d protest one more time to gauge Naruto’s reaction. Did he really want him to go? 

“Ay...common’ just come to the movies with us you can go to the library after. I really want you to come.” Naruto pleaded. The way he said it made things seem so easy. The only problem being he wouldn’t have time to go to the library after the movies he’d have to go right home and get ready. 

“Okay.” 

*****

The last time he went to the movies was when he was very young. He saw an animated movie. He forgot the plot and the name but remembered the main boy character turned into a dragon and the main girl character’s parents turned into pigs. He remembered enjoying that movie and wished his mother would turn into a pig but it never happened. He didn’t watch much television except for educational videos and documentaries. Occasionally the news was on at night. The news was always grim and some tragedy was always happening somewhere or another in the world. He hadn’t gone to the cinema since he was little. He had gone to the theater and the opera with his family; he wondered if anyone else went to the theater and opera. 

He felt a little giddy walking into the cinema. It was large. Three stories. It smelled of popcorn and butter. 

He walked beside Naruto. They purchased their tickets and met up with everyone else in the main lobby of the cinema. It was busy with moviegoers. Packed with families, students, and people on dates. He noticed the girl with the loud voice, the girl who snorted at him. Her pastel pink hair was pulled back with a barret. He noticed she had a large forehead she hadn’t yet grown into yet. Her emerald eyes met him for a moment. They sized him up and once she noticed he wasn’t a threat greeted Naruto enthusiastically. He watched as Naruto smiled back and watched as Naruto’s face seemed to flush pink in her presence. He looked back at the girl with pastel pink hair. It clicked. Naruto must like her-like her. He mulled that over some more. Thinking maybe he misinterpreted Naruto’s reaction to her. He didn’t. 

Nobody formally greeted him but they did acknowledge him with a nod and a smile. He smiled back politely. He didn’t remember their names. They weren’t important to him. He decided he might make an effort to learn and remember their names. 

They went to the snack bar. The menu was overwhelming. He decided to order a soda and popcorn. It hurt to hold his soda in his right hand so he held his popcorn in his right and the soda in his left. It was what everyone else was ordering. Everyone except Naruto. He watched as Naruto ordered nachos, a box of buncha crunch, a hotdog with the works, and popcorn with extra butter. 

“Jeez Naruto, ordering half the menu.” One of their male classmates said sarcastically. Naruto laughed. Sasuke observed. Naruto had previously called him Kiba. He resembled a dog. His canines appeared sharper than the rest of theirs. He committed his name to memory. Kiba. 

“Should I order the other half? I can get back in line.” 

“Next time, dude. Come on let's go to our seats, the movie is going to start.”

Sasuke followed the rest into the theater. It was already packed with people. They found their seats and sat down. He was at the end and sat next to Naruto. He placed his drink in the cupholder and placed the box of popcorn in his lap. The seat was comfortable. He felt giddy. 

“Do you get scared easily?” Naruto asked. He turned his whole body towards him. He could see the girl with pink hair was seated on the other side of him. 

“No. I know it’s not real.” He was very pragmatic. He began to eat popcorn. Parents couldn’t really turn into pigs. Movies weren’t real and therefore couldn’t hurt him. If they couldn’t hurt him he wouldn’t need to be scared. 

“This one is based on a true story though!” Naruto argued. He must have given him a confused look because Naruto continued. “Meaning this happened in real life.” 

“Did they catch the killer?”

“No! He’s still out there!” 

They never caught the killer? He had to recalculate everything he knew about movies. He never took into consideration movies based on true events. Documentaries were real. Was this similar to a documentary? Maybe it was a reenactment? They never caught the killer. It was no longer a question but a statement. The killer was still out there. The theater darkened and for a few seconds, everything remained in blackness. Then the previews started. His mind barely registered the previews as he was too preoccupied with calculating the probability of being attacked by a killer. His chances were low but not zero. The movie finally started. 

Naruto was right. It opened up with a black title screen and white font. ‘This movie is based on a true story.’ He swallowed. He wasn’t expecting to be scared. The movie started playing and he sunk back into his seat. He switched from eating his popcorn causally to anxiously eating his popcorn. He couldn’t turn his eyes away. He finished his popcorn halfway through the movie. 

The movie had a visceral reaction from him. He squirmed. He closed his eyes. He jumped. He gasped. Everything scared him because it was the first time experiencing all the tropes in a horror movie. The jump scares, someone standing behind a character and when the character looks they’re gone, loud noises, the bloodshed, and gore, holding a match in a darkened basement, tripping and falling and spraining an ankle. He looked at his own sprained wrist. Would he clumsily fall and sprain his ankle? 

He found himself at the edge of his seat. The main protagonist was a girl. The proclaimed virgin. Everyone in her friend group only said it about a thousand times. She managed to escape the killer’s hands by trapping him in the basement while she found the car keys and sped away in the truck. She was the only survivor out of her friends and she reported the killer to the police. Was that the reason she lived because she was a virgin? He didn’t fully understand what that even meant. She was the only witness that could make a statement. 

“Naruto wanna come over and play that new video game?” Kiba asked. 

The female with the large forehead, whom he now knew to be Sakura, interrupted before Naruto could answer.

“I’m going to the mall to buy my mother a birthday present. You can come if you want.”

He turned to see Naruto’s face blushing again as he spoke to Sakura and Kiba. He turned and started walking away. He had to go home. His father was joining them for dinner. He wanted to make sure he got back in time so he could get ready and be presentable by the time he came home. He felt jittery when they left the inside theater. He was glad it was still daylight. He took relief and refuge in the sun. He felt protected in the daylight. He began to examine what he would do if he was one of the people in the friend group. 

“So what did you think?” Naruto asked. He appeared beside him. “Were you scared?”

“I didn’t know the killer was still out there.” He answered a little confused that he had appeared so suddenly. He evaded the question that was originally asked.

“Admit it...you were scared.” 

“A little.” He stated, though he didn’t want to admit it. 

Naruto threw an arm around his shoulder and started laughing in clenched victory. It caused a startle reaction out of him and he pulled away from his touch. 

“You’re jumpy…” Naruto commented and stared at him. “I’m not going to bite you or anything.” Naruto pulled back. 

“I just don’t like being touched.” He spoke. His heartbeat fast in his chest. He could feel his cheeks redden. His blood pressure rising. He wasn’t used to being touched so casually. 

“Okay-okay. I’m sorry.” Naruto said with a shrug. He didn’t seem affected one way or another. He threw his hands behind his head and continued to walk alongside him. 

“Why didn’t you go with them?” He asked Naruto. The question blurted out without much thought. Naruto had two invitations and he must have declined both. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here with him walking back home.

“I invited you to come and dragged you along. It would be rude to let you walk home by yourself. Besides...what if the killer jumps out of the shadows!” Naruto spoke. He jumped at him and grabbed his arm with his. It scared him and he gasped. He instinctively jerked away. It caused Naruto to laugh. His laughter was gratifying. He wasn’t angry with him; it was just a prank, and he began to start liking his laughter. 

“I can walk home by myself. I don’t mind.” He replied, his eyes staring down at the sidewalk. Although he was kind of glad Naruto was walking with him. They had reached the bus stop and began waiting for the next bus. “I don’t need a chaperon.” He muttered. 

“Think of me as your bodyguard. Incase the killer pops up.” Naruto answered. He pantomimed karate moves. They weren’t very good. He couldn’t help but laugh. He looked ridiculous. Naruto turned and stared at him. He flashed him his sparkling smile. 

“I don’t think you could win against a machete.” He commented. He wondered what would work. Maybe a gun. 

“Yeah...probably.” Naruto laughed. He glanced at him. “Are you excited about the class trip?” The bus pulled up to the bus stop and they got on. The class trip started at the end of next week. 

“To Hawaii?” He asked. He remembered hearing their teacher mention it. 

He wasn’t sure he was going to go. He thought about feigning an illness and resting. This was the first year they were allowed to take class trips. An earlier vote determined the location. He hadn’t voted at all because it didn’t concern him. His mother had the permission slip. He hadn’t anticipated the school mailing the permission slips home. He saw it on her desk in her office. He hadn’t brought up the permission slip and she hadn’t asked him about it. 

“Mhm. I’ve never been. I’m pretty excited.” Naruto continued. They sat side by side on the bus. Naruto sat in the seat by the aisle. He looked out the window. He wasn’t sure if he was excited. He was...indifferent. He decided not to say this. He decided not to say anything. 

“We’re partners so we would probably sit next to each other on the plane and share a hotel room.” Naruto continued. He was determined to keep the focus on the school trip. He brought up them being partners. Sitting next to each other on the plane and sharing a hotel room. Was that what being partners met? If he went would he do all these things with Naruto?

“I...don't know if I’m going to go.” He answered truthfully. He stared straight ahead watching the bus driver. He didn’t know why he was feeling guilty. 

“Why not?”

“I...don’t know.” He found himself picking at the skin around his nails. It was a nervous tic he wasn’t able to break. He sometimes picked the skin so much he bled and needed to wear bandaids. Over the last few days, he found that he wasn’t picking the skin as much. He was actually proud that he would have a family dinner without bandaids on his fingers. But now he was picking his skin and the more he was aware the more nervous he became and the more he continued to pick at his skin. 

“You should come. It will be fun. I bet you would have fun. The itinerary looks pretty fun too. Lots of places to go, and see. Going to see volcanoes, going to museums and luau. Plus my mom says it's cheaper on school trips. She loved all the school trips she went on.”

Naruto’s mother? He thought back to the handkerchief and the hand-sewed initials in the corner. 

He hadn’t even looked at the itinerary. He hadn’t gone to Hawaii before. Volcanoes? Luaus? His father had gone there on multiple business trips, and it was the location of his parents' honeymoon. They go back every couple of years for their anniversary. He saw pictures. It looked like a tropical paradise. 

“I want you to come. It wouldn’t be the same without you. It’s supposed to be a class trip...meaning everyone in the class goes.” Naruto spoke seriously. “If you don’t go. Who’s going to be my partner? I’ll be alone.” 

It was the first time he heard a serious tone coming from Naruto. It was such a shock he turned and looked at him. Expecting him to break out into a smile and say something along the lines of kidding, or it was a joke, or he didn’t really care if he went. None of those things happened. Just his mind playing the worst-case scenario game like always. He didn’t say anything back. Naruto continued to stare at him with those powerful blue eyes. It felt as if he was being hypnotized by those eyes. His mind was processing Naruto’s words. It sounded like Naruto really wanted him to go. He didn’t understand...why. It made him happy. 

He nodded his head up and down. “Maybe it would be fun...if I went.” He tested the waters he wanted to see how Naruto would react. 

“So you’re coming?” Naruto’s eyes lit up. Sasuke’s heart fluttered. 

“Yeah...maybe. I need to ask my parents.” He said softly. Remembering he needed to bring up the permission slip with his mother. It might be better to bring it up at dinner tonight. When both his parents were there. He’d have better luck with his father being present. “I’ll ask tonight over dinner.” 

“Hey Sasuke.” Naruto asked curiously. He reached out and touched the bandage that was wrapped around his right wrist. “What happened to your wrist?” Naruto sounded concerned. His mother hadn’t even asked about his wrist. Naruto’s fingers felt warm. He could feel them even through the bandages. 

“I fell.” He suddenly felt embarrassed. He thought back to the handkerchief. The dumpster. Falling in. Falling out. He had laundered the handkerchief and it was folded on his desk in his room. He forgot to bring it with him today. He needed to give it back. He needed to give it back and thank him. Properly. 

“Does it hurt?” 

“A little.”

“You should put ice on it when you get home. You should really be careful not to hurt yourself.” 

Sasuke shrugged. He didn’t mind the pain. It was a dull throbbing every now and then. He didn’t even take any aspirin today. He didn’t mind the pain at all. It was liveable. It connected him to the world. Helped him stay grounded so he didn’t disconnect. He did listen to Naruto and when he got home he put ice on it. 

*****

They had two dining rooms at their estate. A formal dining room where they entertained important guests and a casual dining room. He took his meals in the casual dining room. It was personable and comfortable. They always seemed to use the formal dining room when father was home. He was often gone on business trips overseas and seemed to sleep at the company more than sleeping home when he was back. There was a merger happening with another company and it had been stressful for his father. He didn’t know if it was his mother who wanted to use the formal dining room or his father. It was ridiculous to him why they even used the formal dining room when it was just them. 

It seemed silly. The table was too large to seat three people. The room is too big. Itachi was still away at university. He had easily gotten into the Ivy League college their mother wanted them both to graduate from. He had come back for winter break but wasn’t going to return until he finished the year. He was left alone with his parents. He wished Itachi was here to soften the tension. The dining room had expensive artwork on the walls and an expensive diamond chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It always felt staged. The room. It felt impersonal. Cold. It wasn’t a place for a family. It was a place for business transactions. Maybe that was what their family had become. A business transaction.

His father sat on one end of the table, his mother on the other and he sat in the middle. His mother had prepared a seafood linguini dish with homemade focaccia bread. It was delicious. Everything she made was delicious. His mother was an amazing chef. She had often spoken about opening up her own restaurant when she didn’t have to raise children anymore. He heard in snippets she had wanted to run her own restaurant before she became pregnant with Itachi. She said now her responsibility was to raise two successful heirs to live up to the Uchiha name. He wished she’d just follow her dreams and open up a restaurant and leave him alone.

“How is everything going at school?” His father asked. He was wearing a tailored suit and his hair was slicked back. His father had always appeared powerful and strong. Someone he wanted to be when he grew up. Confident. Poised. Charming. He loved him. He wanted to be him when he grew up. 

“Sasuke’s last report card was all A’s.” His mother answered for him. “He’s always doing well with his piano lessons and continues to attend cram school. I was wondering if we should enroll him in some golf lessons.”

His stomach sank. She finally brought up enrolling him in a sport. He knew she was catching on that he had too much free time. He wouldn’t be surprised if she knew he went to the movies this afternoon. He suddenly wasn’t hungry anymore. The food began to taste of soot. 

“Golf would be useful. I closed many deals over a game of golf. I think it would be beneficial. What do you think, Sasuke?” His father asked him.

“Maybe tennis lessons too.” His mother continued before Sasuke could say one way or another. “The country club hired a new instructor. He was a gold medalist in the Olympics.” She didn’t just want to enroll him in golf...but tennis too? 

“Itachi enjoyed golf. He never wanted to play tennis. Sasuke what do you think about playing tennis?” His father asked again. 

It was another direct question. He waited for his mother to say something else. He wasn’t particularly interested in tennis or golf. He knew he had to pick something. He had pushed off the sports category for a while now. Itachi had chosen golf. His father played golf and as his father said golf would be the most useful for when he was a working adult. He tried to picture where in his schedule his golf lessons would be placed. He had finally gotten some free time and now it was being erased. He began picking at the skin around his nails. 

“Sasuke?” His mother’s stern voice said. “Your father asked you a question.”

“It’s fine. He doesn’t have to answer right away. Let him think about it. Maybe something else is on your mind, Sasuke?”

There was. The class trip. He stopped picking his skin. He decided it was now or never to bring up the permission slip and the school trip.

“My class trip is next week. We’re going to Hawaii. I still need to turn in the permission slip.”

“I didn’t think you were interested in going on the class trip.” His mother commented. She sounded suspicious. “We also need to pay for it...it isn’t free Sasuke. Nothing is free in life.” She was going to say no all along. 

He felt overwhelming guilt consume him. He shouldn’t have asked about the trip. It was difficult to breathe. He didn’t stop picking the flesh around his fingers. She didn’t want him to go on the class trip. He picked at the flesh of his index finger and pulled a piece of a hangnail off. It immediately started bleeding. He watched as the blood started trickling down his finger. The pain was barely registrable. He grabbed his cloth napkin and wrapped it around his bloody finger.

“Hawaii is a fun place, right Mikoto? I mean, we have lots of good memories there. It’s not going to make us go bankrupt paying for one class trip. I’ll wire the money tomorrow.” His father said with a charismatic smile. 

He knew he was talking about their honeymoon and anniversaries spent there. He looked up at his father. He was surprised he was so casual about him going on a trip. He knew they were upper-middle-class but both parents hated spending money. His father was supportive of him going. He smiled appreciatively at his father. He was right to bring up the class trip while his father was present. 

“Yes. I agree. I just wanted to make sure he really wanted to go.” She spoke and took a sip of her red wine. “I want to ensure he goes and doesn’t fool around with his friends and that he learns something. Kids these days don’t understand the value of education.” 

“Ah he’ll be fine. Sasuke’s a good boy and an excellent student. Let him be a kid every once and a while. How much spending money do you think you’ll need, Sasuke?” 

“I...don’t know. This is my first school trip.” He answered automatically. Monotone. 

His mind was numb. Stuck repeating his mother’s words. He wanted to correct her. He didn’t have any friends. He wouldn’t mess around with any friends because he didn’t have any. He pulled the napkin away from his finger and watched the blood drip.


	2. Two dead men stood up to fight

#  **Two dead men stood up to fight**

“I’m glad you decided to come, Sasuke.” 

The homeroom teacher commented when Sasuke checked in at the airport. He smiled politely back. He donned the mask easily and played the role perfectly. Inside he was panicking. He had been running late and got stuck in a long line at an airport security checkpoint. He was relieved he made it and the plane hadn’t taken off without him. He hated being late and it only made him more nervous. 

“I can help you if you need any assistance.” He said politely to the teacher. He wanted to be useful and help in any way. 

“That’s alright. Naruto has already checked in. Why don’t you go-”

“Hi Sasuke!” Naruto’s loud voice projected across the waiting area of the departure gate. He turned to see Naruto approach him. Naruto had a backpack and was wearing a baseball cap. He wore a bright pineapple printed button up, shorts, and bright printed socks with sneakers. He looked ridiculous. He didn’t have any sense of style and seemed to just roll around in a pile of clothes and whatever stuck was what he wore. 

“Hi.” He greeted Naruto as he walked up to him. The teacher moved away to check in another classmate. 

“I’m pumped! A few days off from school and nothing but playing in the sun.” 

“Hi Naruto.” Sakura greeted. She appeared alongside Naruto. She glanced at him and mumbled. “Hi Sasuke.” She turned back to Naruto.

“Hi Sakura.” Naruto greeted back. He watched as his cheeks turned pink. He wondered if he was ever going to confess to Sakura he liked her. 

“What seat are you sitting in?” She asked Naruto. She held her boarding pass in her hand. 

“13B.” Naruto answered. “Sasuke is 13A.” 

“Oh.” Sakura said disappointedly. She looked at her boarding pass. “Ino and I are 30A and B.” 

Judging by her expression she wanted to sit next to Naruto. 

“I figured we’d be scattered around the plane.” Naruto said logically. “We should be boarding soon.” 

“Okay. Well, I’ll talk to you later.” Sakura spoke. She did a small wave and trudged away. 

“How are you on planes?” Naruto asked Sasuke. “I need to take dramamine. I get nauseous otherwise.” He pulled out a bottle. Naruto offered one to Sasuke. 

He accepted. It was chewable and he chewed it. He never took dramamine before and didn’t know the side effects. He should have asked because by the time he boarded the plane he was beginning to feel tired. Not just tired he felt exhausted. He sat in the seat next to the window and Naruto sat next to him. He yawned. It felt as if he closed his eyes he would fall asleep. 

“The only part I don’t like is the takeoff and landing.” Naruto confessed. “I always feel like the plane is going to crash.” 

“The odds are 1 in a million that you’ll die in a plane crash.” He said pragmatically. “You have a higher chance of being struck by lightning.” 

“Er...that doesn’t make me feel any better. My mom always says I am 1 in a million...so…” Naruto laughed nervously. He sank in his seat and folded his hands in his lap. 

“Most plane crashes happen at take off and landing.” He continued. He rested his hands on the armrests. He yawned again. “So you’re right to be nervous.” 

“Are you trying to make me into a nervous wreck?” Naruto asked anxiously. It was the first time he saw Naruto so vulnerable. His face paled. His pupils dilated. 

“If we are to crash I’d rather us be in the air. When the plane falls we lose cabin pressure and oxygen. We would pass out before we crashed. Otherwise if we crash at takeoff or landing we would be consciously aware and would feel everything.”

“Okay...stop it!” Naruto said and grabbed Sasuke’s arm. He was afraid. He wasn’t exaggerating. 

“S-sorry.” He said softly. He hadn’t meant any harm. His eyes glanced to Naruto’s fingers wrapped around his arm. His fingers felt warm, soft. “When I’m afraid I tend to look up research on it so I’m not afraid anymore.” He was practical. He needed to become educated on the things that scared him, or the things he didn’t understand. 

“What are you afraid of?” Naruto asked. He let go of his arm. 

“The typical things. Being kidnapped, drowning, being in a house fire. Chances of any of these things happening are extremely low. So I guess I’m not really afraid as much as I am cautious.”

He lied to Naruto. He wasn’t afraid of any of those things. His fear ran raw. It cut deep. Gutted him like a fish. If he spoke about his real fears would Naruto laugh at him? He didn’t have time to think about it. The look on Naruto’s face already told him he didn’t believe him. There was already doubt outlined. The look Naruto gave him clearly said, ‘ _Why are you lying you coward?_ ’. 

“You’re...kinda weird aren’t you?” Naruto asked. There was a playful smile on his face. It bordered on cruelty. He blinked. Did he see right? He pulled back from Naruto. He couldn’t go far. He was strapped in his plane seat. Seatbelt fastened. It was too late to back out now. The plane was about to take off. 

“I’m weird?” He asked and turned towards Naruto. He raised his eyebrows. It sounded like an insult. He felt embarrassed. His stomach began to hurt. He thought this was it. This was where Naruto was going to tell him he didn’t want to talk to him anymore and he wanted a new partner. 

“I mean...you think differently. I like it. I like weird things. It means you’re not boring.” Naruto clarified. “You’re interesting. Makes me want to get to know you more.” He flashed another smile and this was more genuine. This smile was more kind. He felt relief. 

Sasuke didn’t answer. He didn’t know how he should answer. How he should respond. He was struggling. He didn’t notice how socially inept he was until he started talking to Naruto. He was afraid of saying the wrong thing. He didn’t know how to start conversations or how to end them. He barely knew how to respond when the questions weren’t academically centered. 

When the plane took off Naruto panicked and grabbed Sasuke’s hand. He didn’t just grab it he squeezed hard. Cutting the blood circulation off. Sasuke’s fingers had bandages wrapped around the tips. He had ugly hands. He didn’t understand why Naruto grabbed his hand. He felt his heart racing. He didn’t know how to respond. Was this a response to him being scared? Was he seeking comfort from him? He placed his other hand on top of Naruto’s. He didn’t know how to comfort anyone. Naruto deserved a comforting blanket but he saw himself as steel wool. 

“It’s okay…” He tried to comfort Naruto. He tried using a calming ‘there-there’ voice. It was difficult as the plane angled as it ascended. “Think about being somewhere else. Think about playing soccer at school with everyone. The more you think about it, think about all the little details.”

“Playing soccer?” Naruto asked shakily. His eyes were squeezed closed. 

“Describe it to me. Describe to me in detail playing soccer. Go on.”

“It’s during lunchtime. I finished lunch and I’m playing soccer. I intercepted the ball and now I’m running with the ball down the field. I see Kiba. He’s open. I need to pass the ball to him. The other team is almost on me. I kicked the ball to him just in time. They’re after him. He only has the ball for a little while before passing it back to me. I can see the goal. I kick it. The goalie misses. I score. Sakura sees me...” 

He couldn’t take his eyes off Naruto as he described in detail him playing soccer. His face relaxed as he described it and lit up with excitement. His eyes remained closed and he could tell he was really envisioning it. When he spoke about Sakura he blushed. Pink tinted his cheeks. 

“Do you like Sakura?” He asked. At this question Naruto’s eyes opened. There was panic etched back in his features. It wasn’t fear-associated, it was embarrassment-associated. Naruto moved his other hand and covered Sasuke’s mouth. Preventing him from saying anything else. He blinked in confusion and tensed up. 

“Shhh!” Naruto hissed. “Don’t ask that question out loud!” Naruto looked apprehensively around. Sakura was rows and rows away. Seventeen rows away to be exact. They sat in row 13 and Sakura sat in row 30. He remembered. He didn’t know how to react to Naruto who continued to squeeze his hand and cover his mouth. His eyes widened. He wanted to disappear into oblivion. He knew one thing he was already reaching his limit on how much he was allowing Naruto to touch him. 

The plane had finally reached the desired elevation and righted itself. Thirty-one thousand feet in the air. They were now flying straight. It immediately calmed Naruto. The fasten seatbelt sign was turned off and Naruto sighed in relief and composed himself. He wanted Naruto to stop touching him. He was counting down from ten before he could feel himself about to freak out. 

“Sorry!” Naruto apologized. He immediately let go of Sasuke. The skin of his mouth and hand was cold in its absence. He felt relief. 

“You do like Sakura.” He narrated. He was learning more about Naruto. 

Naruto shrugged. “A little. She’s really cute right?” His voice was barely above a whisper. 

Is Sakura cute? He thought back to her appearance. She was awkward. They were all awkward at this age. Nobody fit right in their body. Who was cute to him? He wasn’t sure he was attracted to any girl now that he thought about it. He tried to think about the animated movie he watched when he was younger. He was more attracted to the main boy character who turned into a dragon than the main character girl who whined too much for his liking. Thinking about that memory he felt warm. He didn’t understand not at first. 

“I...don’t know?” He answered truthfully. “I guess?” He tried seeing what Naruto saw and couldn’t. He didn’t want to hurt Naruto’s feelings by saying he didn’t see Sakura as being cute especially if he did. He played it safe. 

“She’s the cutest, and she’s funny and smart! She’s second only to you.”

“Huh?” He asked. He did not understand what Naruto was saying. His heart quickened. His face warmed. His mind whirled with incomprehensible thoughts. 

“You’re first in our class. Sakura is second.” 

“Oh...yeah.” He said and nodded his head in agreement. Obviously, Naruto was talking about class ranking. What else would he be talking about? “Where are you in the class ranking?” He decided to change the topic. He didn’t pay attention to class ranking. He was number 1 and everyone else faded into nothingness behind him. 

“We...don’t talk about that.” Naruto said and waved his hand dismissively. The way he said it and the way he acted made him think he was nearer the bottom. Maybe failing? No it didn’t make sense he thought back to the mathematics homework. 

“You must be smart. You got all the answers right on the math homework.” He commented. He remembered getting the homework back and he received a 100. The relief he felt was insurmountable. The red pen with the number 100 written in the corner. He still needed to thank Naruto but the more he procrastinated the harder it got. 

“I’m okay. I guess.” Naruto answered. There was a long pause. He didn’t know why but he felt anxious in that pause. Naruto continued. “I’m not genius-smart like you and Sakura. But I’m not at the bottom of the class like Kiba either.” 

He didn’t know what else to say. He never thought about love, or dating or anything like that. He was in the early stages of puberty like everyone else. He didn’t have time to sit and think about things. What were the next steps? He knew people dated, went on dates, fell in love, got married, had kids. He figured that was what everyone did. He thought back to his brother. If Itachi did date anyone he never told any of them. He thought to their mother. Her expectations were so high she probably wouldn’t approve of anyone. She would probably hand select their wives...arrange their marriages. His stomach sank thinking about being married to a girl. He wondered what their father would think. 

He didn’t know what else to say to keep the conversation going and so he didn’t say anything at all. He watched Naruto lose interest and he put headphones in and started watching a movie. He didn’t have to think long. The dramamine officially took effect and in doing so he was knocked out. He closed his eyes telling himself he was just going to rest his eyes. Instead he fell right asleep. 

*****

Sasuke woke up to someone holding his hand. He woke up startled to find the plane landing. His stomach dropped. 

“Naruto?” He yawned and looked to see Naruto clutching his hand. He had a death grip and his fingers turned white. He tried to free himself but it was impossible. 

“You jerk! You fell asleep!” Naruto mumbled angrily. His eyes remained closed. 

He felt the wheels of the plane hit the airport runway. He felt himself jerking as the plane bumped as it slowed down. They had officially landed. Naruto held onto his hand until they officially stopped. After. Naruto let go of his hand and let out the biggest sigh he had ever heard someone release. He sighed like an old man coming to terms with death. He stifled a laugh. 

“It’s good to be alive.” Naruto breathed and opened his eyes. “Right, Sasuke?” 

Again Naruto was being cryptic and asking weird questions. He wasn’t so sure he agreed. He didn’t disagree either. He was stagnant. Somewhere in the middle. Life was living and death was finality a period at the end of a sentence. The rest of the time was spent unboarding, waiting at baggage claim to fetch their luggage, then filing into a rented bus that transported them to the hotel. On the bus Sakura and a girl with blonde hair named Ino sat across from them. Naruto sat in the aisle seat and spoke to Sakura the majority of the way to the hotel. He glanced at Ino and found her sleeping. He yawned. He was still exhausted. 

“How was the plane ride?” Sakura asked. 

“It was fine. I didn’t have any problems.” Naruto laughed. He glanced at Naruto. He was lying. He rolled his eyes. 

“Oh really?” He challenged, shifting his eyes to Naruto.

“Yes.” Naruto answered and shot him a reproachful glance. “What about you?” He asked Sakura. 

“We were stuck in front of two kids that wouldn’t stop kicking our seats. So I yelled at them. The kids started crying then we had to deal with them crying the rest of the way.” Sakura explained exhaustively. Her shoulders sagged. “I couldn’t sleep a wink!”

“Sasuke slept the majority of the time.” Naruto commented. “He used me as a pillow and drooled on me. He slept like a baby.” He spoke in a teasing voice. “I need to change shirts when we get back.” 

He froze. It was the first he was hearing about this. He stared at Naruto. He didn’t seem bothered and had an impish glint in his blue eyes. He had fallen asleep on Naruto? Worse. He drooled on him? Was he lying? Sakura laughed with Naruto. He felt more than embarrassment. He felt mortified. Did Naruto let him sleep on him or did he push him away? His mind whirled. He shook his head. He didn’t want to think about it. He wanted Naruto to stop talking. 

“Maybe you should tell her how afraid you were at take off and landing that you wouldn’t let go of my hand the whole time.” He said loudly. 

“What?” Sakura asked. “You were afraid?” She looked at Naruto inquisitively. 

Naruto’s face went from a soft blush to pink, to rose red in a matter of seconds. The red seeped into his neck and to the tips of his ears. He immediately began denying it. “No! That wasn’t what happened! He’s just kidding-He’s kidding.” Naruto again covered Sasuke’s mouth with one hand and waved his hand at Sakura with the other. He turned back to Sasuke. “Truce-truce, okay?” 

He rolled his eyes and pulled Naruto’s hand from his mouth. He didn’t want Naruto to think he could embarrass him and get away with it. As the saying goes he was just giving him a taste of his own medicine. He didn’t say anything else. He continued to watch Naruto do damage control and he found himself smiling. He stifled a laugh and looked out the window. He decided to stop teasing Naruto and stayed out of their conversation. He had the ability to turn off whatever was going on around him and he did. It became silent. He had the ability to make everything around him disappear and he did. Everyone vanished. They no longer existed in his world. He was the only one on the bus. 

It was night time in Hawaii. He saw the outline of palm trees. It was a cloudless night and the sky was speckled with hundreds of thousands of twinkling stars. They looked like fireflies that were trapped in ink. He could see the purples and blues of the milky way galaxy cutting the sky in two. It looked like an entrance to another dimension and if he stretched his hand out the window he could touch it. It was breathtaking as the bus curved around a cliff. The sand of the beach looked rugged like the surface of the moon. If he looked hard enough it looked as if he were on another planet at another part of the galaxy. 

He felt a calmness slowly washing over him and he exhaled in relief. 

*****

Sasuke unlocked the hotel room with the keycard. Even though he slept the majority of the flight he was still exhausted. Sleep clung to every muscle in his body. It was jetlag. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Sandman himself was hovering above him sprinkling magical sleeping sand over his head. Their hotel was on the beach and their room was facing the ocean. There were two twin sized beds, a small table with two chairs, a dresser, a TV, and a small refrigerator. They had a sliding glass door that led to a balcony. He watched Naruto drop his suitcase. He ran to the sliding glass door, opened the sliding glass door and gasped as he stepped onto the balcony. They had a view of the beach. 

He joined Naruto on the balcony. He wrapped his hands around the railing of the balcony just as a warm breeze picked up. It was beautiful. He could hear the waves on the beach. The moon was full and it hung low in the sky. So low it looked like it was going to fall into the ocean. 

“Hey diddle diddle. The cat and the fiddle. The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see sport and the dish ran away with the spoon.” Naruto spoke the nursery rhyme. His voice was low, barely above a whisper. So soft the night breeze swallowed up the words and carried them away. There was something off about the tone in his voice. 

“Mhm?” He asked and turned to see Naruto leaving the balcony without another word. He didn’t know why Naruto made him feel both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. He decided to be cautious with him. 

*****

He wore a baseball hat to try to protect himself from the sun and was slathered in sunscreen. It was humid in Hawaii. Sweat stuck to him and made him feel grimy. He could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face, neck, back. They were trekking through the Volcanoes National Park. The more he realized he was on a powerful active volcano the more excited he became knowing at any moment the volcano could erupt and kill them all. If the volcano did erupt and kill him he’d greet death with open arms. He had forgotten bug spray and the bugs seemed to have a smorgasbord of feasting on his blood. 

They were following a Ranger through the park and were advised for their safety to stay out of closed areas and be prepared. He didn’t know how prepared they should be if the volcano erupted. What were their defenses against molten lava? Unless it was...be prepared to run. Be prepared to die? 

The views were spectacular. He watched as plumes of large continuous white clouds extended from the ground up towards the sky. The plumes were so gigantic and wide it was as if it was making the earth’s clouds. From his vantage, he could see molten lava fall from the side of the mountain into the ocean. He was mesmerized. He watched as steam wafted off the ocean as the lava was dumped into the waters. They were on volcanic rock that had solidified and had a glossy sheen to it. 

“What do you think, Sasuke?” Naruto asked. He was beside him. “Aren’t you glad you came?” 

“Y-yeah.” He admitted hesitantly. He clutched the straps of his backpack for support. He smiled at Naruto. He was happy to see Naruto smiling back. He didn’t know why. He felt a warmness in his stomach and he turned away. 

“Naruto!” Sakura’s voice rang out. She had appeared in front of them. “Do you feel that?” She grabbed his hand.

“Feel what?”

“The ground is shaking...what if the volcano explodes and we all die! I’m scared!”

“We won’t die.” Naruto answered and started to comfort her. “We’re at a safe distance, and nothing will happen. We just can’t cross any of these signs and ropes.”

“She’s right.” Sasuke interrupted. “About 60 volcanoes erupt each year. Last year 1,500 people died from being caught in a volcano. More people die from active volcanoes than plane crashes.” He spoke pragmatically and without any real emotion one way or another. 

He watched as Sakura’s face twisted into fear. Her eyes watered up and she started crying. She wasn’t attempting to quiet herself. She was loud and raucous and unapologetic. Naruto wrapped an arm around her and gave him a disapproving look before lecturing, “Sasuke! Enough!” 

He didn’t have time to say anything. He couldn’t. He wanted to support Sakura and give her validation for being fearful. Her fear was more valid of dying in a volcano than Naruto’s fear of being in a plane crash. He didn’t understand what was going on. Sakura’s crying had caused the rest of the class to surround them. Sakura pointed a finger at Sasuke and through tears, she said accusingly. 

“He said we were all going to die because the volcano is going to erupt. He said more people die from volcanoes than plane crashes. I want to leave. I don’t want to be here anymore! I want to leave now he’s scaring me!” 

“Why would you say that Sasuke?” The teacher emerged. He had a disproving expression on his face. “Why would you scare her?” 

“It’s true. I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” He answered defensively. 

He could feel the rest of his class glaring at him. They were comforting Sakura and whispering to one another and pointing at him. He watched as Naruto whose arm continued to be around Sakura guided her away from him. It was difficult to swallow. Naruto didn’t even turn around and soon he disappeared from view. 

“We’ve spent enough time at the park. Let’s go back to the tour bus everyone.” The teacher announced loudly. There were loud groans and protests that went through the crowd like shockwaves. 

A classmate bashed his shoulder into Sasuke’s and sneered as he walked by, “Good going, loser. Thanks to you now we all have to go back.” 

“Why did you even come if you were going to be a nuisance?” Another voice spoke angrily as they bashed into his other shoulder. This caused Sasuke to trip and fall. He landed on his tailbone and stretched his hands out to catch himself behind him. Someone purposely stepped on his hand and he yelped in pain. They jammed their heel into his hand. He gasped and recoiled his hand. He saw skinny legs standing above him. As the crowd dispersed he looked up to see Ino staring down. She had large headphones around her neck. 

“Don’t bother getting up.” Ino spoke. She was chewing bubble gum. She blew a large pink bubble. “You lost this round. Maybe you should just give up.” 

Sasuke’s hand pulsated with pain. It was comforting. He was about to stand up but her words knocked him back down. He stared up at her. She was wearing overall shorts. She looked like a kid yet at the same time she looked like an adult. She looked disinterested, apathetic. Wise beyond her years. He remembered she was one of the kids who he went to the cinema with. 

“Sasuke, Ino let’s go. Back to the bus!” The teacher’s authoritarian voice called after them. Saskuke stood up and stared down at Ino. He was taller than her. He was shocked to see just how much taller than her he was. 

“What are you talking about?” He asked Ino. 

“My advice is to stay back in the hotel for the rest of the day. You already lost. There’s no need to further embarrass yourself.”

“I don’t…” He didn’t understand anything she was saying. She sounded like a grim fortune cookie. 

“You don’t know who Sakura is...do you?” He shook his head. It caused Ino to smile coldly. She looked annoyed. She looked him up and down. She looked disappointed like a voyeur who was promised a good show only to ask for a refund at the end. She adjusted the headphones back over her ears. “I don’t know why you even bothered coming on the school trip. Nobody wants you here.” 

He didn’t understand what had happened. He felt whiplash. As if someone forgot him on a rollercoaster that kept cycling through. On the bus he noticed that Naruto was sitting with Sakura. Both ignored him as he walked down the aisle. He and Ino sat in the remaining open seats. Ino didn’t say anything to him and he didn’t know what to say, or do, or react. She pulled her headphones over her ears and he could hear rock music blaring out. He just sat there and pretended everyone vanished. It worked. The more he thought about it the more his classmates disappeared one by one until he was the only one who remained on the bus. The difference being yesterday he saw a beautiful night sky and today the outside world looked lackluster and foreboding. He wished the volcano erupted and killed them all. 

*****

“Aren’t you coming to dinner?” Naruto asked. There were undertones of accusatory impatience in his voice. He didn’t know why Naruto was speaking this way. He didn’t look at Sasuke. He was at the door and his eyes seemed to look everywhere else in the room except for Sasuke. His tone put Sasuke on edge. 

“No.” Sasuke answered. He was kneeling on the floor. He pulled a book from his suitcase. He avoided Naruto’s eyes just as much as Naruto avoided his. “I don’t feel like being with anyone right now. I’d rather be alone.” It was a lie. He didn’t want to be alone but he also didn’t want to be around classmates who accused him of ending their visit to the volcanoes early. Naruto’s tone backed him into a corner. He had no other choice but to cater to what he knew Naruto wanted to hear. He knew Naruto didn’t want him to join dinner. 

Naruto paused. Sasuke peeked up at him. Naruto’s expression looked like he wanted to say something else. He was teetering on if he should ask it or not. It looked like he was about to leave, but he didn’t. His feet remained cemented at the door of their hotel room. Sasuke looked away. He looked back at Sasuke and watched him reading the book he pulled out. 

“Why’d you do it?” Naruto asked. His voice was softer. “Why did you purposefully scare Sakura today?” Sasuke’s heart thumped. He didn’t mean to scare her, that wasn’t his intention. 

“Because it was fun.” He lied. He gripped his book tightly. He didn’t want to scare her. He wanted to agree with her. Nobody saw it that way so he stopped trying to defend himself. He decided to play the villain. Was this what Naruto wanted? Maybe Naruto needed an excuse to stop talking to him. 

“You did the same thing to me on the plane.” Naruto continued. His voice was knotted up. His body was tense. Sasuke could sense the other’s body language. He didn’t know what Naruto wanted to hear. He felt conflicted. 

“So? I didn’t think you’d be such a scaredy-cat, and I didn’t think Sakura would be such a weak baby. You two suit each other. Now leave me alone. I want to be alone. GO!” He shouted. He felt confused. 

Naruto didn’t say anything else. He left. The door closed and automatically locked behind him. He threw the book across the room. He felt a hopelessness wash over him. It dumped bile in his stomach and he found himself shaking. He wanted to cry but no tears came out. Not yet. His body shook as if he was crying. He wasn’t allowed to cry yet. He closed the blinds. He stripped down to his underwear and crawled under his blankets. He buried his head into his pillow. He wanted to cry but couldn’t. Everything remained bottled up inside. Under lock and key. He remained like that until sheer emotional exhaustion moved him into an uneasy sleep. 

He didn’t know how long he was sleeping for. He heard the hotel door opening and close again. He slowly opened his eyes to see Naruto had returned and he was carrying a plate of food. He walked to the small table they had in their room and placed the plate down. He looked over to Sasuke and locked eyes with him. 

“I brought you food. Don’t worry I’m not staying.” Naruto continued. He didn’t say anything else. 

Sasuke watched as Naruto left the room and the hotel door closed after. He felt relief because he didn’t want Naruto to see him in his underwear. He pushed himself up from the bed and saw the plate of food on the table. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he sat at the table and began eating. He finished the plate of food in record time. He still felt emotionally exhausted. The walls of the hotel seemed to shrink. 

He gathered his pajamas and went to the bathroom. He decided to bathe and complete his bedtime routine. Even if it was early. He’d rather be asleep than awake. Sleeping was as close as he could get to death. When he came out of the bathroom he saw Naruto was changing his clothes. He jumped. He wasn’t expecting him back and he wasn’t expecting him to be naked. He averted his eyes. 

“What…what are you doing?” He gasped and turned around. Naruto glanced at him and didn’t say anything else. He continued changing until he was dressed in his pajamas. 

“You were in the bathroom for so long I decided to change out here.” Naruto defended. “We have the same parts. Why are you embarrassed?” 

“It doesn’t mean I want to see you! Have some modesty...how would you react if you came back and I was naked in the room?” He covered his face with his hands. 

“You’re acting...silly.” Naruto mumbled. He folded his arms. “I don’t want to see you naked either. I was just saying we have the same parts.” 

“It’s...still early. Why are you back?” Sasuke asked. He looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was a little after 8:00 PM. 

“It’s my room. I can come back if I want to come back.” Naruto answered. He sounded exhausted. He fell back on his bed and watched Sasuke. “I’m staying here for the rest of the night. So get used to it.” 

He didn’t say anything else to Naruto. To him...Naruto was...moody and he didn’t understand why. Naruto’s tone and body language made him unpredictable. He couldn’t read him. He picked up his book and crawled into his bed. He decided to ignore him and started reading the book. He couldn’t concentrate on the book. His mind kept wandering to Naruto. He expected Naruto to hang out with everyone down at the beach. He knew tonight was the luau. He memorized the itinerary. He tried to focus on the book. He couldn’t concentrate on the words. They jumbled and blurred together. He could feel Naruto staring at him. He turned and looked at him.

“Why are you staring at me?” Sasuke asked. He felt uncomfortable. 

“I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier.” Naruto answered. His voice was soft. Gentle. 

He was speechless and he didn’t know how to react. He didn’t know what Naruto was apologizing for. He had already thought it over and he lacked tact when it came to socializing. He often speaks without thinking about how his words would come across. How his words affect others. He had scared Naruto on the plane and scared Sakura at the park. Not on purpose but he did. The more he thought it over the more of a big misunderstanding everything was. It wasn’t his fault and it wasn’t their fault. It was just...a misunderstanding.

“It’s...okay...I should have been more tactful.” He answered shyly. “I didn’t mean to scare Sakura, and I didn’t mean to scare you.” 

“I get protective when one of my friends...cries.” Naruto continued. “Sakura is homesick. This is the first time she has been so far away from her parents.” Sasuke noticed when Naruto spoke about being homesick and her parents his eyes glossed over. A layer of liquid coated his blue eyes. He was on the verge of crying. Suddenly Sasuke realized it wasn’t necessarily Sakura Naruto was talking about. He was talking about himself. Naruto wasn’t moody...he was homesick and that made him irritable and out of sorts. He cracked the case. 

“Are you homesick? Is this your first time so far away from home?” Sasuke asked. He felt himself soften. He lowered his book. He barely thought about his home or his parents. He was relieved to be free from his mother’s controlling hands. 

“A little...and I’ve never been this far from home.” Naruto confessed. He watched as Naruto jumped off his bed and crawled into his bed.

“What are you…” Sasuke hesitated and pushed himself back and away from Naruto.

“Let me sleep with you tonight.” Naruto answered. He pulled the blankets back and wiggled inside. “I miss my mom and dad. Be nice to me.” He made a face. 

“Can’t you miss them...in your own bed? Why do you have to miss them in my bed?” Sasuke gasped. It was difficult to breathe. He didn’t want Naruto so close to him. The bed was a twin. Barely enough space for him let alone another body. The room was small and looking around the room again it appeared to have shrunk even more. He felt claustrophobic. The room kept shrinking and shrinking and soon it would be no bigger than a shoebox. 

“I feel less sad here.” Naruto answered. He curled on his side and stared at Sasuke. “Just for tonight. Let me sleep here, please. I won’t touch you.” It was the first time that Naruto looked young...he didn’t know why it felt as if Naruto was older and braver and stronger than him. Looking at him now he looked just like...any other middle schooler. Just like any other kid. 

“O-okay.” Sasuke answered. 

“Don’t tell anyone.” Naruto warned. “Especially...Sakura. I don’t want people to think I’m a scaredy-cat...sissy. Because I’m not!”

“But you are.” He answered pragmatically. 

“Don’t tell anyone...okay?” Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s arm and squeezed it. It was hypnotic. He shouldn’t look too long into his blue eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of a Basilisk. Naruto wasn’t just homesick..he was frightened...but he didn’t know what frightened him and he was too scared to ask. 

“Fine. Just don’t hog the blankets.” He answered shakily. Naruto fell asleep almost as soon as he laid down next to him. His body was curled towards him and he slept on his side. 

He didn’t understand Naruto at all. He was at a loss for words. His mind vibrated. Just who was Naruto Namikaze? He was scared on the plane and held his hand, and now he was homesick and sleeping in his bed? He didn’t understand why Naruto was so comfortable around him that he acted like this. It didn’t make sense they barely knew each other. Why was he comfortable with showing this side to him and keeping it a secret from everyone else? And why couldn’t he say anything to anyone? It must be because he wants to continue to impress Sakura. If that was the case...why did he leave the luau early? Was he so homesick he couldn’t be there any longer without exposing himself? His mind did somersaults as it tried to figure out why and he became frustrated when he couldn’t find an adequate answer. 

He thought about waking Naruto up and asking except his face was so soft and peaceful it felt illegal to disturb him. He wasn’t able to sleep that night. Naruto appeared to sleep like a baby throughout the night. At least one of them was able to get a good night's rest. He on the other hand tossed and turned until the sky went from an insufferable black to a calming baby blue. 

*****

The next day Naruto acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Naruto was back to being on speaking terms with him. He acted as if he hadn't slept with him all night because he was homesick and frightened. Naruto did hog the blankets the majority of the night even though he said he wouldn’t. The rest of the class was ambivalent. Nobody went out of their way to speak to him and he didn’t go out of his way to speak to any of them. He didn’t mind. He would rather his classmates ignore him than whisper behind his back. Most importantly he didn’t hear anything being whispered behind his back. Was it because Naruto was back to talking to him that everyone backed off? 

“You should watch your back today.” Ino mumbled under her breath. They had exited the tour bus and began forming a large crowd at the entrance of the Honolulu Museum of Art. She said it deliberately. She stopped next to him and said it between smacking her gum and blowing bubbles. Her voice was low so that only he heard. It sent goosebumps down his spine. He heard every word. 

“Why?” He asked, turning towards her. She smiled secretively. A smile that said if she told him it would ruin her fun so she wasn’t going to tell. She was a devil. He knew what she meant. She was warning him about Sakura. 

He looked to see Naruto was in deep conversation with Sakura. He had jumped off the bus and went to her immediately. He stared at them for a moment. Sakura turned her head slightly and caught his eyes. She didn’t just give him a death glare; it was a threatening look, a promise, she was going to kill him if he interfered in their conversation. He could feel an invisible barrier forming around her and Naruto. A magical spell was formed only allowing Sakura and Naruto inside. He suddenly felt cold even though he was standing on a tropical island. He looked away. 

He suddenly didn’t want to be near Sakura or Naruto. He felt sick to his stomach. He was shaken. 

“Everyone pick partners and line up in two’s, please.” Their teacher announced. He had come up from behind them. He panicked. He didn’t want to be near Naruto. 

“Do we have to be partners with our roommates?” He asked the teacher. He had reached out and grabbed the teacher’s arm. He immediately let go when the teacher looked down surprised to see him and Ino standing there. 

“No, I guess not. S’long as everyone has a partner.” The teacher spoke with a smile. 

“Ino is going to be my partner.” He answered quickly. Too quickly. “Naruto can be someone else’s partner.” 

“What?” Ino asked her jaw dropping. “I am?”

“Yes. We’re partners.” He said and crossed his arms. 

“Okay. Line up.” The teacher said with a smile. He put one hand on Ino’s back and the other on his back and ushered them to the front of the line. “Everyone line up with your partners behind Ino and Sasuke!”

“Hey...Sasuke?” Naruto greeted and ran up to him. “Let’s…” He looked from Ino to Sasuke then at the teacher. The teacher’s words seemed to register in his mind. “Line up?” There was a look of confusion on his face. 

“I’m Ino’s partner.” He clarified dryly and turned away. He jutted a thumb at Ino. “You should be Sakura’s partner.” His blue eyes widened at his remark. Naruto had an expression of shock before it melted into a smile. He saw it from the corner of his eye. Naruto wasn’t leaving. “If you don’t want me to tell Sakura what you did last night...leave.” He threatened. It seemed to be the magic words. Naruto jumped. 

“Okay...uh...Bye.” Naruto’s words blurred together. He vanished and reappeared in front of Sakura no doubt explaining they were switching partners. 

*****

“So...what’s the deal?” He asked Ino as they split off from the group and began exploring the museum by themselves. They had to meet at the front entrance in two hours, until then, they were free to explore the museum at their leisure. Ino had her hands around her headphones ready to fit them back on her ears. She was still smacking her gum. He succeeded in catching her off guard. 

“The deal?” Ino asked coyly. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t say cryptic things to me again. I don’t want to play your stupid games.” He demanded as he grabbed hold of her headphones and ripped them from around her neck. Ino had a backward reaction. She didn’t scream or cry or yell at him like he’d thought she’d do. She smiled. Her eyes lit up. She came to life like a wind-up toy. 

“Sakura is...dangerous. If I were you...I’d watch my back.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Do you remember Hinata Hyuuga?” The way she said it made it sound like she knew he didn’t know who she was. 

He tried to conjure up an image of Hinata. He couldn’t. He had stopped paying attention to his classmates. He blocked them all out. Their faces and names were erased from his memory. Everyone walked around with misshapen heads that looked more like Picasso paintings. 

“The end of last semester Hinata fell down the school stairs. She broke her neck and hasn’t been back to school since. It was in the back corridor leading to the gym. There weren’t any cameras in the hallway. They ruled it an accident.”

He had a memory. He remembered police and ambulances outside the school. His mother had come to escort him out of the school that day. It was a coincidence. She was bringing him to the doctors for his yearly physical. He remembered hearing in passing that a student was injured and was being transported to the hospital. He blinked. He remembered seeing a girl with black hair being wheeled out of the school on a stretcher. He remembered hearing a girl had snapped her neck falling down the stairs. Small fragments collected together. He didn’t ask any questions because he had no connection to any of his classmates. He didn’t give her another look as he left the school with his mother. 

His eyes locked to Ino’s. He took notice of her seafoam green eyes. They reminded him of a mermaid...no...Ino was a siren. Her blonde hair was pulled up into two buns. She had a presence that said she would lead grown sailors to their death. He didn’t say anything else. She wasn’t ugly. He tried to find an outward fault he could focus on and discredit everything she was saying. Sakura’s forehead was too big and her nose too small for her face. He could sense an ugliness on the inside of Ino. Something rotten...something contagious. His thinking was flawed. He just wanted an excuse not to believe her because he knew what she was going to say. Even before she said it. 

“It wasn’t an accident.” Ino spoke sullenly. Her voice was low. Her eyes darkened and sunk back into her skull. “Sakura pushed Hinata down the stairs.” 

“Why-”

“Why didn’t I say anything?” Ino finished his sentence. She shrugged. His stomach hurt. He could feel the hotel continental breakfast churning in his stomach. Ino wrapped an arm around Sasuke’s arm and began leading him around the museum. Her touch made him feel sick. He pretended to look at the artwork but everything was blank on the walls. He could only focus on one thing at a time. 

“The first reason. It wasn’t any of my business. Hinata said she couldn’t remember anything of that day...either she’s lying or she really doesn’t remember. The second reason. Sakura is an actress and she's part of the Playhouse Theater. I’m also affiliated with the theater...but my skill is dancing not acting. Sakura is always cast as the female lead. Everyone will believe anything she says because she’s that good. But. The final reason is...we all are trauma bonded.”

“Trauma bonded?” 

“You really are a nutcase, huh?” Ino spoke with disgust. She stared at him. “You really know nothing about any of us.” She was aghast. Almost like she had doubts but was now confirmed. She stared at him expecting him to say ‘just kidding’. He didn’t, because she was right. He didn’t know anything about anyone in his class. “Fucking priceless.” She smiled coldly at him. He was feeling unknown guilt fill him slowly. 

“Me...Naruto, Kiba, Sakura, and Neji...we were playing on the train tracks last year. We were climbing in and out of the boxcars. When we shut the door to one...it locked on us. We couldn’t get out. That wasn’t all. The train started moving. We screamed...and screamed for help, but nobody heard us. We were trapped in that boxcar without food and water for five days. When they found us...we were across the country...and Neji was dead.” Ino’s voice was trancelike as if she had repeated the story over a thousand times and it just came naturally now. Her grip tightened around his arm. She was a boa constrictor and she was ready to snap his humerus. 

He stopped moving. His head felt fuzzy. He didn’t recall any of this. He had been so involved in the schedule and routine his mother created he didn’t know any of this. His classmates didn’t talk to him and he didn’t talk to them. It was a mutual agreement. Being on this trip was uncharacteristic. There were two categories. They were on one side and he was on the other with a barrier between them. Now that he was thinking about it. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He wasn’t supposed to be hearing these horrible things that have happened to his classmates. It was all a big mistake. Why was he here? He was here only because a blonde haired blue-eyed boy smiled at him, talked to him a little, and asked him to come? If that was all it took for him to agree...his fate would be no different than the fate of those sailors who came across Ino. 

“Neji...died?” He shuddered. He didn’t know who Neji was but suddenly felt an emotional connection. Neji died...and they were all trapped in the same boxcar with a dead body. The images flooded his mind and they terrified him. Hinata was pushed down the stairs and her neck snapped. 

“Mhm.” Ino murmured. She sounded distant. Faraway. As if she was still in that boxcar. Maybe they all were still in the boxcar. 

“So what’s the connection with Hinata?” 

“Hinata is Neji’s cousin. The day she was pushed down the stairs. She and Sakura got into an argument. Sakura told her that Naruto was her’s and to stay away from him. Hinata said that Sakura was the reason Neji died because it was her idea to play on the train tracks. Sakura pushed her after she said that.” 

“You were there...with Sakura...weren’t you?” He asked and stared at Ino. He knew he was right. Sakura wasn’t the only one who was dangerous. “Sakura...knows you know...doesn’t she?” 

“Mhm. We all know Sakura pushed Hinata. Naruto and Kiba too. We all know she pushed her down the stairs. We. Were. All. There. I was with Sakura at the top of the stairs, and Naruto and Kiba were at the bottom of the stairs.” 

Naruto...was there? 

His heart thumped. He remembered Naruto telling him how homesick he was and demanding to sleep with him in his bed. He remembered Naruto hogging the blankets and sleeping like a baby throughout the night while he tossed and turned restlessly all night. How was he able to sleep so peacefully after what he witnessed? He remembered him grabbing his hand on the plane. He remembered how friendly Naruto was when his new assigned seat was next to him. How diligent he worked during after school classroom cleanup. How nice he had been to him. He shuddered. 

No. No. No. It didn’t matter. Naruto had witnessed Sakura pushing Hinata down the stairs and didn’t say...or do anything? They were all wolves in sheepskin. Naruto was just as dangerous as Ino and Sakura. 

“Why...are you...telling...me...this?” He asked. He felt dizzy. His knees began to shake. He didn’t want to know any of this and now he was burdened. The bones in his legs felt like they were slowly transitioning into wet noodles. He felt...scared. 

“First. I think you should find a new group of friends to associate with. Because it’s not going to be us. Second. Sakura doesn’t want anyone new taking Naruto’s attention away from her. Kiba and I...we’re trauma bonded. She won’t touch us...but everyone else...is free game.” 

“I don’t...understand. What did I do?”

“You went with us to the movie theater. Naruto walked home with you that day and didn’t go with any of us...especially Sakura. You’re here on this trip...as Naruto’s partner. Naruto was supposed to be Kiba’s partner...not yours. Whatever you did last night caused Naruto to leave us at the luau and he returned to your hotel room...stunts like that is what is going to get you hurt. So it’s best if you just don’t try to be friendly with Naruto.” Her voice was dangerous. Her voice was unhinged. He didn’t understand. She was a kid...like him but her eyes were ancient. She wasn’t smacking her gum anymore. He wondered if she swallowed it. Her gaze was penetrating. She reminded him of his mother’s gaze. She stared at him and it felt like he was standing there naked. He felt embarrassed. 

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” He screamed. 

He didn’t know what he was doing. He dropped Ino’s headphones. He just reacted. He used both hands and shoved her away from him. He used his whole strength, which wasn’t very strong, but enough to knock her off her feet. She stumbled backward and fell on her tailbone. He ran from her. It was the thing he noted while watching the slasher movie. The characters made stupid decisions when evading the killer. Decisions where they ended up dead. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes. He wasn’t going to be a victim. His fight or flight mode turned on and he was fleeing. His body moved on autopilot. His feet took him to the nearest restroom and he found himself emptying half-digested breakfast out of his stomach. Not only that but his vision blurred and he couldn’t stop shaking. 

He was right to believe Ino was a siren. Sakura too. They worked together. That wasn’t all. Naruto was aware of what Sakura did to their classmate...to Neji’s cousin. He slammed his back up against the stall door and covered his mouth with his hands. He didn’t understand why he was hyperventilating. Why he was becoming so emotionally attached to two people he had no clear memories of. Maybe because he was so close. He was so close to being at the edge of the stairs with Sakura pushing him down...down...down. He envisioned himself with a broken neck bleeding out at the foot of the stairs with Naruto smiling down at him. 

He was thinking back to all of them being trapped in the boxcar for five days as the train crossed the country. All of them trapped inside. Was that the reason why they all kept it a secret? If that was their purpose why did Ino tell him anything? Was it really a warning? Why even tell him anything wasn’t she afraid he was going to tell? 

Ino was right about one thing. He wanted nothing to do with any of them...especially he didn’t want anything to do with Naruto. 

*****

“You do have a temperature…” The teacher spoke softly. He placed his hand on Sasuke’s forehead. He stared at the thermometer. “100.4. A low-grade fever. Take these...and if your fever doesn’t go down I’ll take you to the clinic.” The teacher gave him 2 Tylenol which he took with a glass of water. He didn’t know if it was stress-induced or if he was really sick. He hadn’t felt good since Ino spilled the beans on what has been happening under his nose at school. 

He was back in his hotel room. He was allowed to remain in the hotel room for the rest of the day. He was given the menu to order room service, and he was given the teacher’s cell phone number to call if he needed anything. The rest of the class was going to continue the excursions of the day. He felt relieved to stay behind. The stress of everything really did make him sick and he didn’t have to fake anything. 

“I can stay.” Naruto offered. “He’s my partner after all.” He spoke as if being partners had any substance to it beyond a formality for keeping track of students on a class trip. 

“NO!” He argued. “I want to be by myself...you’re only going to make things worse!” He didn’t mean to be so forceful and horrible. He didn’t want Naruto near him, and him staying here was only going to make him sicker. He knew it. 

“Did something happen, Sasuke?” The teacher asked. Naruto’s face was twisted into confusion. 

“No. I just...want to be by myself and rest. If anyone stays with me I know I’ll feel too guilty to rest.” He stated plainly. It was partly true. He knew he needed a good enough reason to satisfy the teacher. He avoided Naruto’s gaze. 

The answer satisfied the teacher and he nodded in agreement. He didn’t know why he hadn’t told the teacher yet. He should have immediately told him what Ino said. He was afraid...that he wouldn’t be believed. It would have been his word against theirs, right? Nobody was on his side. He was the perfect person to tell the secret to because what exactly would he be able to do? Nothing. That’s right. 

“That makes sense. Naruto let’s go. You heard him...you’re going to need to have fun in his place for the rest of the day. Sasuke get some rest and I’ll check on you later tonight.” 

Naruto reluctantly nodded his head in agreement. He trudged after the teacher. “Okay. I hope you get better soon...Sasuke. I’ll see you later...goodbye.” He didn’t say anything to Naruto. He turned on his side and stared at the wall until they left. 

After he was sure they were gone he stood up. He counted six-hundred seconds before moving. He looked at Naruto’s belongings. He began to go through them. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. The bottle of dramamine. He wanted nothing more than to sleep. He chewed three tablets. His mouth was dry and he could feel the paste-like substance sticking to his tongue and roof of his mouth. He drank more water before crawling back into his twin sized bed. 

*****

Sasuke woke up to feeling something on his head. It was cold. He didn’t remember falling asleep. He opened his eyes and a blurry image shifted into focus. It was Naruto. He jolted up. Naruto must have put a washcloth on his forehead because when he moved to a sitting position it fell into his lap. He picked it up and stared at Naruto. He felt groggy. 

“I didn’t mean to scare you. How are you feeling?” Naruto asked. 

He blinked. He was a little delirious. His heart was thumping painfully in his chest. Every single thing Ino exposed to him bled back into memory. He was hoping it was just a nightmare. He furrowed his eyebrows. He looked at the digital clock on the nightstand between their twin sized beds. It was early. Barely past 7:00 PM. He looked back to see Naruto was sitting on his bed and staring at him. The look Naruto gave him was worried, anxious, as if he wanted to help but didn’t know what to do, unease. 

How was he feeling? Exhausted. His head wasn’t pounding anymore but he felt...off. 

“Sasuke?” Naruto asked. “Are you okay?” The question was repeated but this time-shifted to a yes or no answer. 

“Yeah…” He answered and fell back down to bed. His head hit the pillows and he exhaled. It was just Naruto and him alone in the room. 

“The teacher checked on you a little while ago. He said you appeared to rest peacefully and he wasn’t concerned.” Naruto explained. “He thought you broke your fever. I wanted to make sure that’s why I put the washcloth on you.” 

“Why are you here?” He asked Nartuo. He didn’t mean to sound so disgusted it just happened. Ino told him Naruto witnessed Sakura pushing Hinata down the stairs. He held the washcloth tightly in his hand. He witnessed Sakura and Naruto still liked-her-liked-her. Ino’s words ricocheted inside his skull. 

“I was worried and I thought I should stay with you for the rest of the night in case you need anything.”

“No...why are you here? I never asked you to stay with me. I told you earlier I didn’t want anyone to take care of me.” 

“Because you’re my partner.”

“It doesn’t mean anything...you know that right? Us being partners is only a formality. It doesn’t mean we’re friends.” 

“I...I know that!” Naruto snapped. He looked uncomfortable and he shifted his eyes away from him. Naruto’s fingers began fidgeting with the comforter and he bit his lower lip in hesitation. He looked like he was trying to find the right words. It was something he found out about Naruto he was always struggling to come up with the right words. “It’s like you said earlier if anyone stayed with you today you’d feel too guilty. I felt guilty all day not staying behind. It ruined my day so you should have just let me stay with you. It wasn’t like it would have made a difference. You slept all day anyways. So let me stay with you now.”

“How do you know I slept all day?”

“Because you took my dramamine!” 

“I don’t need you.” He snapped. He felt embarrassed that Naruto realized he had taken some of his motion sickness medication.

“What?” Naruto asked. His face paled and he gave Sasuke an expression as if he was just slapped across the face. His eyes widened with apprehension. The dramamine was forgotten. It was never about the dramamine. He wanted to tell Naruto what Ino told him but he wasn’t strong enough to open that can of worms and have that conversation. 

“I said. I don’t need you.” He repeated. “I don’t need you to take care of me. I don’t want you to take care of me. I don’t even want you to be next to me. So why don’t you just go and hang out with your friends and leave me alone, because that’s what I want!”

“What...what about you?” Naruto’s voice was soft, barely audible. He had to strain his ears to hear him. “I want to be your friend too.” It was too late. Being friends with Naruto was too late. It was over the moment he found out what happened to Hinata. It was dangerous to be his friend. 

He didn’t know what else to say. He felt his face redden. He could feel hotness stinging his cheeks. He felt nervous and embarrassed. He wanted to be Naruto’s friend but not anymore. Not after what Ino said to him this morning. He was feeling embarrassed whenever he was around Naruto. It wasn’t just embarrassment he was feeling, it felt like he was on the verge of crying, and he didn’t know why. He didn’t know who Neji and Hinata were and yet they became stitched into his life. He had felt more sadness at that moment than he felt in a really long time and he didn’t know how to cope. 

“Who says I even want to be your friend?” He yelled. Didn’t he have a say in things? 

“Me!” Naruto yelled back.

“GO AWAY!”

“NO!” 

He didn’t know what else to do. He pulled the blankets over his face and curled up into a ball. “I’m not talking to you!” It was childish and it was the only thing he could think of doing. 

“Fine. I’m not leaving. This is my room too!” Naruto yelled back. “I’m staying right here! Better get used to it.”

“FINE!” He yelled from under the blankets. 

He could hear the hotel TV being turned on and could hear Naruto flipping through the channels. He could feel Naruto was still sitting on his bed. It appeared not only wasn’t Naruto moving he felt him get comfortable. His mind was numb. It hurt to think about anything and so he stopped thinking. Naruto settled on a cartoon. He could hear the high-pitched over the top voice actors. He wasn’t sure what it was about. Cartoons weren’t allowed in his house as it offered no academic benefits and didn’t provide the stimulation his mother wanted. 

He didn’t know how long he was under the blankets for when he felt himself becoming overheated he pulled the blankets down slowly. He peeked from over the blankets and his eyes wandered to the television. He didn’t understand what was going on. It was an animated dog and he was overexerting himself trying to save the old woman from a tornado. He watched as the old woman was changed into a little girl and she demanded mac and cheese. He was so focused on the cartoon he erupted into laughter at a joke. No matter how many times the dog made mac and cheese it wasn’t right for the little girl and at the end she said she didn’t like mac and cheese. Naruto also laughed at the same joke. They laughed in unison. 

“I love this show.” Naruto commented to Sasuke as if the two were having a shared conversation. He didn’t answer. He continued watching cartoons with Naruto. It was a marathon of the same show. Each episode was better than the last and each episode he found himself both loving and rooting for the cowardly dog. 

It was getting late. He got up, took a bath, and got ready for bed. He felt better once he was cleaned, his teeth were brushed, and his hair combed. He walked back into the room and saw Naruto was still on his bed. His mouth moved into a thin line. 

“Are you going to sleep in your own bed tonight?” He asked. Naruto looked at him.

“No.”

“Fine. Take my bed. I’m going to sleep in yours then.” He answered and walked to Naruto’s empty bed and pulled back the covers. 

“That’s my bed!” Naruto argued. He watched as Naruto leaped from his bed to the other twin sized bed. Naruto tackled Sasuke as soon as he climbed into the other bed. 

“It’s time to grow up!” He argued as he tried to shove Naruto off him. He grabbed Naruto’s arms and tried to push him from the bed. “...and sleep in your own bed!” 

“You let me sleep with you last night! What’s another night?”

“Yeah...for one night! You didn’t sleep in my bed the first night we were here.”

“I didn’t sleep at all the first night we were here!”

“Why not?”

“Because I was afraid!” Naruto shouted. He saw images of Naruto being locked in the dark boxcar. 

Naruto’s defenses let up and Sasuke tackled him back down on the bed. He pinned Naruto’s arms down on either side of his head and stared down at him. He wasn’t expecting Naruto to admit he really was frightened of something. He was right. Naruto was frightened of something last night. His stomach dropped. Naruto hadn’t slept the whole first night they were in the hotel? Did he toss and turn all night like he did last night? 

“We’re even then because I couldn’t sleep all last night because of you!” He accused. He wasn’t going to allow Naruto to guilt-trip him.

“Why not?” Naruto breathed. Sasuke let go of him and sat back. Why? Didn’t he know how weird it was? 

“Because it was weird...us sleeping in the same bed.”

“Really? I didn’t think it was weird. It’s not like I like-you-like you or anything.”

“Wh...what?” Sasuke stuttered. “Why would you bring that up...you made it even weirder!” He could feel his face redden, his neck redden, and his ears redden. 

“I’m just saying. If I liked you it would make it weird.” Naruto answered nonchalantly. 

“It’s still weird!”

“Do you like-me-like-me?”

“NO! I don’t even like you as a friend.”

“Then it’s not weird.” Naruto shrugged. He acted like Sasuke was overreacting. It made Sasuke realize just how poor Naruto’s boundaries were. It frightened him even more. 

“YES IT IS!” He could feel all the blood rushing to his face. He stumbled out of Naruto’s bed and stumbled to the mini-refrigerator. He walked as if he was drunk. He pulled out a water bottle and drank half the bottle in one gulp. His head was still whirling and he tried to keep his body steady. The whole room was spinning. He felt dizzy. Out of breath. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt that way. I’ll sleep in my own bed tonight.” Naruto spoke. He slipped off the bed, gathered his nighttime toiletries, and went into the bathroom. 

It took him a moment to catch his breath. He finished up the water bottle and crawled back into his bed. He pressed his fingers up against his chest. He could feel a whole orchestra performing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony inside his rib cage. He didn’t know why he was acting this way. Why Naruto’s words made him breathless and feel weird. He heard Naruto exit the bathroom. He glanced and saw Naruto climbing into his own bed. He sighed in relief. Good. At least he was learning what was appropriate and what wasn’t. 

“Sasuke. I’m sorry if I made you feel weird. It wasn’t my intention...I also just want to say I hope we can be friends. Maybe not now...hopefully in the future.” Naruto spoke. He wanted to tell him that he didn’t want to be friends but he wanted the conversation to end. 

“You can leave the lights on. I don’t mind.” He answered. All he wanted was for Naruto to shut up and go to sleep. He thought back to the first night. The lights were off and the curtains to the balcony were drawn closed. It was dark. He thought back to Naruto being in the dark boxcar. “You can leave the television on too...I can sleep through anything.” He really could. 

There was a long pause. “Okay. Thank you...goodnight.” Naruto answered. He heard the television being turned back on. He could still feel the effects of the dramamine and he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. 

*****

“Was...Hinata in our class?” Sasuke asked the teacher. It was their last day in Hawaii and they were souvenir shopping. He had felt well enough to go out on today’s excursions. He couldn’t shake Naruto. He stuck to him like a shadow. He finally lost him in the shops. He cornered their teacher amongst the seashell jewelry. 

“Hinata Hyuuga? Yes. She was in our class. Don’t you remember?” The teacher asked. His voice was concerned. There was a sadness in his eyes as he stared down at him. He didn’t understand why he sounded sad when he asked the last question. He acted as if he had amnesia. Maybe he did. He had shut out everyone around him and now was fumbling in the dark trying to find answers to questions he didn’t know in the first place. 

“No.” He answered truthfully. 

“Why are you asking about Hinata?” The teacher’s sadness melted into confusion. 

“I wanted to get her a souvenir...she should be here with everyone, and she’s not.” 

“It was a terrible accident.” The teacher stated and shook his head in disbelief. His voice was distant as if remembering the 'terrible accident'. Sasuke looked at him from the corner of his eyes. He swallowed painfully. Everybody really does believe it was an accident. “I bet she would love it if you picked her out a souvenir.” 

“Was it really an accident?” He blurted. He immediately regretted it. “There are no cameras in that stairway...right?” 

“What is with all these questions, Sasuke? Do you know something I don’t? Is there something you want to tell me?” 

Was there something he wanted to tell him? If he told the teacher...would he believe him? He opened his mouth to speak. 

“There you are, Sasuke!” Ino’s voice filtered over the racks of seashell bracelets. She appeared next to him. He moved to see a curt smile peeling her lips. “Naruto and Sakura have partnered up...so it’s you and me.” 

“Are you and Ino friends?” The teacher asked and smiled warmly. He looked proud. His eyes gleamed. Sasuke stared at him. He wasn’t friends with Ino. He wanted to correct him.

“Kinda…” Ino answered for him. “We bonded over this trip.” 

“That’s great! Maybe Ino can help you pick out a souvenir for Hinata. She can give you an insight into what a girl wants.” The teacher answered happily. He clapped his hands. He appeared overly thrilled it was laughable. He was clueless. An airhead. He wondered how such an obtuse person could become a teacher. No wonder Sakura got away with what she did. The teacher was clueless and everyone who witnessed it was going to take the secret to the grave. 

Sasuke could feel goosebumps ripple across his flesh. He felt cold again. He saw Ino’s expression when the teacher mentioned Hinata. Her smile flattened. Her eyes became vacant. She was holding her smile with tape and wire. She slowly turned her head and body until it was facing him. Her smile became void of happiness. It looked cruel. He felt his stomach plunge down. His heart quickened. He didn’t want Ino to know he asked about Hinata. He could feel stomach acid burn his esophagus. 

“I’ll let you guys be. I’ll see you at the bus after lunch.” 

Ino waited until the teacher was completely out of earshot before talking.

“Why were you talking about Hinata to the teacher?” 

She didn’t hear. He felt relieved. He could lie and it wouldn’t be a problem because she didn’t hear their conversation. She appeared at the tail-end. He didn’t have to worry. He could lie and she wouldn’t be able to prove anything. 

“I asked the teacher if I should get Hinata a souvenir because she’s not here.” He spoke confidently even though he was panicking inside. He had gotten used to being presentable in front of his judgmental mother. He could keep his composure in front of Ino. At least for a little while. 

“What happened last night?” Ino questioned. 

“I don’t want to be Naruto’s friend. Didn’t you see me ignore him all day? Aren’t you wondering why I am here, alone? Stop acting like I am even doing anything except avoid him!” He responded angrily. He hated feeling like he had to explain himself to Ino...he hated feeling like he was doing something wrong. 

“I know. It’s weird.” Ino commented. He couldn’t read her. She began looking through the racks of jewelry specifically at a rack of cowry shelled bracelets. “I thought about things more, and it isn’t Sakura you should be worried about.”

He stared at Ino. He didn’t understand why she was changing her hypothesis. What new evidence did she obtain? “Why?” He asked. He decided to play along. 

“It’s Naruto you should be worried about. I don’t know what ulterior motive he has...maybe you should ask him. Why is he suddenly giving a shit about you now, and don’t give me crap about it’s because ‘you guys are now partners’. You and Hinata were partners and you didn’t even know she was in our class let alone what happened to her.”

His breathing stopped. He could feel goosebumps cover his skin. An electric shock went up and down his spine. He was partnered with Hinata? He thought back to the empty desk next to him. The longer he focused on the empty desk next to him a blurry image appeared. A girl with a razor-sharp bob appeared next to him. Her face was blurry. Eyes, nose, mouth swirled around the face. As soon as she was there her image popped and she was gone. The person sitting next to him in class was now Naruto. Ino was right. Hinata was his partner before Naruto. Ino smirked as if she could read his mind and figure out the connection he was making.

Was Naruto talking to him because he was partnered with Hinata? 

“It’s probably because you were Hinata’s partner. Maybe he wants to silence you himself. It’s pretty unexpected...sickening even. I can understand Sakura...but Naruto? It would be the perfect crime.” 

“Crime?” Sasuke repeated. Fear didn’t just grip him it possessed him. Slithered through his veins like a poison slowly crippling and paralyzing him. 

“Here I was thinking I was protecting you against Sakura when it was Naruto I should have been worried about this whole time.” Ino pulled one of the cowry bracelets from the rack and handed it to Sasuke and like a fool he reached out and grabbed it. Just a human reflex. “Hinata would like this type of bracelet. She had a matching necklace she used to wear a lot.” Sasuke looked down at the bracelet. When he looked back up Ino was gone. 

He decided to purchase the bracelet for Hinata. He went to the register and opted for the pretty box and tissue paper. He wasn’t even sure he would have the opportunity to give her the gift and even if he did he had no idea what he would say to her. ‘Sorry Sakura pushed you down the stairs and nobody said anything. Here is this bracelet I thought you might like it?’ He was the first to return to the bus. They had ample time to spend shopping. He couldn’t. He was barely keeping it together and decided to take the time needed alone on the bus to build back his composure. 

He was thankful tomorrow they were going to fly back home. 

“THERE YOU ARE!” Naruto’s voice filled the tour bus and it caused the hair on the back of Sasuke’s neck to stand on end. He snapped his head to see the scruffy blonde walking down the aisle towards him. Baffled, he found him so quickly. “I was looking all over for you.” He plopped down in the seat next to him. Sasuke immediately ignored him. He looked out the window and clutched the jewelry box tightly in his hand.

“What souvenir did you get?” Naruto asked as he took notice of the jewelry box in his hand.

It was the only thing he purchased. A bracelet for a girl he didn’t even know and probably would never even give to. 

“A bracelet.” He answered coldly. 

“Why a bracelet?” Naruto asked in confusion. “Is it a gift for someone?”

“Yes.”

“For who? Your mom?” His voice was carefree and curious. 

“No. For Hinata.” 

His answer caused Naruto to stop speaking. His careless demeanor turned rigid. He turned to see a look of horror on Naruto’s features and he looked like he swallowed his own tongue. He thought back to when he was bringing the mathematics homework to the classroom and overheard the conversation. The same energy he felt when Kiba mentioned Hinata was the same energy he felt exuding from Naruto right now. It was something electrical. If he touched Naruto now he wondered if he would get shocked. 

“Why did you buy a gift for Hinata?” Naruto’s voice was shaky. He heard other emotions seeping through his words. Including anger and apprehension. Resentment. Was this Naruto’s true personality? It must be. Whatever facade he wore was cracking. He was afraid of what was underneath the mask Naruto wore. 

“You aren’t friends with her.” Naruto’s voice shifted into something cold and devoid of humanity. The way he phrased it solidified that Naruto knew he had no friends and almost took pleasure in that fact. Ino was right. Naruto was not to be trusted. 

“She was my partner before you.” He answered. He tried to maintain his composure and confidence as well as keeping himself distant from Naruto. Even though he and Naruto were the only ones on the bus and next to each other. He wanted to keep Naruto at an arm's length away. 

“So?” Naruto asked angrily. His face twisted up into something frightening. “You never talked to her before...so why are you buying her a present now? I’m your partner now! Did you buy me a present?” His voice was desperate at the end. Naruto had reached out and grabbed Sasuke’s wrist and jerked his hand towards his chest. 

Sasuke felt afraid again. He sucked in his breath. Ino was right. Naruto was acting exactly like someone who witnessed their classmate being pushed down the stairs. Someone who pretended like it was an accident and now went into hysterics whenever their name was brought up. There had to be more to the story. To their dynamics. He wanted to know more...to know more about Hinata...more about Neji. More importantly, he knew he didn’t want to know anything about Naruto. 

“No.” He answered. “I didn’t buy you a gift.” He tried pulling his arm back from Naruto. 

“You’re making it really hard to be your friend!” Naruto yelled. He refused to let go of his wrist. 

“Let...go!” 

“NARUTO!” Another voice filtered from the front of the bus. Both Sasuke and Naruto jerked their heads to see Kiba standing in the middle of the aisle. “What are you doing?” Naruto immediately let go of Sasuke’s wrist and stood up. 

“I was just teasing, Sasuke. He bought a girl a present and I was...just teasing him because he didn’t buy me a gift.” Naruto lied so effortlessly. He had donned his mask and smiled. His demeanor shifted back into his carefree, happy-go-lucky-self. His stance became easy and he relaxed back into the role of everyone’s friend. Charisma oozed from his pores. 

“We still have time. Sakura and Ino want to take some photos before we leave.” 

Naruto didn’t answer, and he didn’t move. He continued to stare at Kiba. He looked to see Kiba and Naruto exchanging unreadable looks as if they were having a telepathic conversation. 

“Okay. I’ll catch you later, Sasuke!” Naruto answered with a laugh. 

He watched as Naruto left the bus with Kiba. When he was alone he gasped and clutched his chest. He began hyperventilating. It was a mistake going on the class trip. He wished he could rewind time and go back to when Naruto asked him on the city bus if he was going. He would have punched his past self in the face and refused. He made a mental note not to bring up Hinata's name in conversation with Naruto. He just needed to lie low and stay alive until they flew back home tomorrow. He continued to hyperventilate. He could make it...he could stay alive. 


	3. Back to back

#  **Back to back**

Naruto shuffled his feet outside the teacher’s office. It was early. He was one of the only students in the building. It was the earliest he has ever come to school. His mother made sure he was up, dressed, and out the door so that he would be an hour early before classes started. He was too nervous to enter. He was stalling. He had already stalled forty-five minutes. He decided to re-tie his shoelaces. They didn’t feel tight. He wanted his shoes tight against his feet. If he didn’t he was afraid they were going to come undone and he was going to trip and fall. 

He had been feeling anxious since the teacher requested to speak with him before the new semester started. He wished his teacher left some iota on what he wanted to discuss with him. It caused his mind to wander. He hadn't slept all last night as a result. The teacher left a message with his mother to have him go to the teacher’s office before school started. His mind immediately went to the teacher finding out what happened. He had to tell himself not to get ahead of himself and if that was the case police would be at the school escorting them out. He checked the parking lot and kept peeking out the windows. He hadn’t seen any police cars. He was getting worked up over nothing. 

Hinata already gave a statement. She said she had tripped and fallen. She said it was an accident. He didn’t have to keep thinking about it and he didn’t have to keep worrying. He kept telling himself to get it together.

The longer he waited the more he could feel guilt creeping up. It felt like shadows encasing around him. They scratched at him and grabbed at him all over. It was a massive black hole encircling him. The air became thin and low. It made breathing difficult as if he were gasping for breath on top of Mt. Everest. In the darkness, he saw Hinata sprawled on the bottom of the stairs and liquid red forming a halo around her head. He blinked and she was gone. 

He touched his face. He didn’t know what expression he was making. He had to make sure he had a relaxed face so as not to reveal anything. The office door opened and he stifled a gasp of surprise. He was still bent over feigning tying his shoes. 

“Ah. There you are. I was worried you wouldn’t come.” The teacher spoke. His voice was calm. 

“Just tying my shoes.” Naruto finished tying his shoes and answered calmly. He picked his backpack up by the strap and followed the teacher into the room. It was a large open room with desks pushed together in rows. Naruto followed the teacher to his desk and sat down in the hardback chair. It felt like he was about to get into trouble. They were alone. He wondered if the other teachers were already in the classroom preparing for the beginning semester. 

“You’re probably wondering why I called you here.” The teacher spoke. 

“Am...I in trouble?” Naruto asked with a forced smile. He tried acting nonchalant like it was a joke. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking and his leg kept bobbing up and down. He felt unknown energy surging through him and it made him jittery as if he drank three pots of coffee. He suddenly had to go to the bathroom. 

“No. Of course not. I just wanted to talk to you about your grades.” The teacher pulled out a manilla folder with Namikaze written across it. His academic file. He pulled out a grade sheet and handed it to Naruto. He took it and began looking at his grades. They were all over with no succinct pattern. He had 0’s, 30’s, 70’s, 60’s, 40’s, 50’s, 20’s. He almost sighed in relief. He just wanted to discuss grades. 

“I’ll try harder.” Naruto answered and handed the grade sheet back. “I’ve just been spending a lot of time playing video games...” He couldn’t even finish the lukewarm lie. His grades have been slowly slipping since the beginning of the school year. 

“At the rate you’re going you’re going to fail.” The teacher spoke clearly and firmly. His face was serious. He wasn’t joking. This was reality. 

“What...do you mean I’m going to fail?” He asked and stared at him. It was the first time he was hearing it. He knew his grades were slipping. Yeah. He stopped doing his homework, stopped studying, and went in on tests blindly. The last battery of tests resulted in the lowest grades he has ever gotten. He remembered ripping them up and throwing them in the trashcan on his way home from school. He knew his class ranking slipped from the top ten to near the bottom. 

“You’re failing every class. If you keep going as you are even if you get perfect grades you won’t be able to pass this grade.” 

“No! That can’t happen...I can’t fail!” He shouted. He thought back to his parents. It would break their hearts if they found out he was failing. He had been lying to them this whole time and telling them he was still in the top ten. How could he tell them he was going to fail? What would he tell them was the reason? Could he keep blaming Neji? Would they continue to allow him to use that excuse? What if they asked about Hinata? What if the school re-investigated the incident? 

“Is...everything going okay at home?” 

“Home is fine!” He defended. Home wasn’t the problem. School was the problem. He sat at the edge of his seat. He kept bobbing his foot up and down and he was fidgeting with his fingers. 

“Is this...about Neji?”

“Y...yes.” He answered. He didn’t look at the teacher. He kept his eyes on the floor. He knew he couldn’t keep using Neji as an excuse...he couldn’t keep blaming him. It was insulting. It was degrading. Yet it was so easy. It was low picking fruit. It was a get out of jail free card. What else was he supposed to say? Sakura was right, they could just keep using Neji as an excuse and all their problems would be solved. He didn’t want to keep blaming Neji...but it was all he had. 

The teacher sighed and nodded his head understandingly. There was a moment of silence as if the teacher was saying a prayer for Neji. Naruto kept his head down and eyes closed to show him he was also praying for Neji. 

“You’re a bright student. A popular student. You’re good at sports, and I know your father is a great man so you take after him. I also understand that kids sometimes get into problems over their heads. So I decided to give you a proposition.” 

“Proposition?” He didn’t understand. He felt embarrassed by the teacher praising him. It made him feel even more guilty. He didn’t deserve any praises and he didn’t deserve any of those compliments he listed off. 

“I’m going to make you a deal. Give you an assignment. I’ll allow you to do makeup work so you do not fail, but I want you to do something for me.” 

“Okay...what do you want me to do?” He asked suspiciously. 

“I want you to become friends with Sasuke Uchiha.” 

“Who?” The name sounded familiar but he couldn’t put a face with the name. Not at first. 

“He’s in your class. I want you to befriend Sasuke.” 

“Is he a loner or something?” He asked inquisitively. He still didn’t understand what the teacher was saying. Maybe he was overthinking things. Was all he had to do besides complete makeup work was to befriend someone? It sounded easy enough. It sounded too easy. He remained cautious. 

“Mhm. He doesn’t socialize with any classmates. Sasuke is number one in the class rankings. He’s extremely bright but he doesn’t have any friends. I want you to befriend him. I am going to redo the seating arrangement and change up class partners.” 

“Wait...wait...wait. So you’re saying if I befriend Sasuke...you’ll let me do makeup work and I won’t fail? You promise?”

“Yes. I promise. Part of the deal is from here until the end of the year I want all homework assignments completed and I want passing grades on every assignment. Got it? I’m handing out mathematics homework tonight. I want it completed and turned in on time tomorrow.” 

“That’s fine. I’ll do it. You know I’m smart...so I just befriend Sasuke and I’m good?” He wanted to make sure he understood the terms and conditions. 

“Yes.”

Naruto leaned back in the chair. He stopped bobbing his leg up and down and he stopped fidgeting with his hands. He bit his lip. He tried to conjure Sasuke up. He had a lightbulb moment. He remembered him. He had dark hair, almond eyes, and pale skin. He didn’t look very athletic. He looked like a bookworm. He was quiet and easily forgettable. He remembered where he sat in the classroom and who his old partner was. He could feel his heart-stopping. It felt as if he was flatlining. 

“He was partnered with Hinata.” The teacher answered what Naruto was thinking. “She’s not coming back to school for a while. I do not know when she will be returning.” 

Naruto nodded his head up and down. His grades were slipping since the beginning of the school year. Hinata’s accident had nothing to do with his grades. They couldn’t be able to draw connections. He stood up and grabbed his schoolbag. 

“Also. I want you to get Sasuke to agree to go on the school trip. I haven’t gotten the permission slip back from him.” 

“Sure. I’ll do it. It can’t be that hard, can it? I’ll be off first.” 

“Thank you, Naruto.” 

“Just don’t go back on your word!” Naruto said seriously and pointed at the teacher. It caused the teacher to laugh and nod his head in agreement. 

*****

“Hey...Sasuke. I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier today.” Naruto had cornered him in their hotel room. Sasuke was packing his belongings. He made sure the jewelry box was packed safely in his carryon. He had been giving Naruto the silent treatment since the incident on the bus. “Sasuke?” He still didn’t answer him. Static filled his head. 

Naruto walked over and touched Sasuke’s shoulder. He flinched and pulled back from his hand. Electricity jolted through him and he shuddered. He glared up at Naruto as if he had punched him. He didn’t understand him at all. 

“Will you...go on a walk with me? I want to tell you something.” Naruto asked. He watched Naruto’s face soften. His eyes looked sad. They were round and reminded him of a shelter puppy wanting nothing more than to be adopted and loved. He could feel himself soften. 

“Please...hear me out?” Naruto continued. “Just this once. Hear me out?” He clasped his hands together and pleaded. 

He didn’t know why he was complying. He stood up and nodded his head in agreement. It wasn’t such an impossible request. All he asked was to go on a walk, in public, so he could tell him something. Naruto’s face broke out into the biggest smile and he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand why Naruto was trying so hard to repair and maintain a friendship that he was trying so hard to rebel against. He thought back to Ino’s words then thought about Naruto’s behaviors on the bus. It was better to be outside than inside a stifling hotel room. 

He followed Naruto out of their hotel. It was warm outside and the sun was setting. It was the perfect temperature. He wore flip flops. They wandered down to the beach. The sand was hot and he could feel it as his feet sunk into the sand. He was curious to know what Naruto was going to say. He could feel a soft breeze coming off the ocean. He could smell saltwater, suntan lotion, and citrus. 

“Do you remember what happened to us?” Naruto asked. “And Neji?” 

He thought back to Ino’s explanation and nodded his head. He had no clear memories of what Ino said. 

“It was an accident. We were just exploring the train tracks. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. We got locked in the boxcar and nobody could hear us. It was dark inside. It was a steel boxcar and it was dark inside. That’s why...I was afraid and why I wanted to sleep next to you. At home I sleep with the lights and television on. It’s not an excuse but earlier when you brought up Hinata...all I could think about was Neji.” 

Naruto’s eyes started to tear up. He balled his hands into fists and wiped the tears away before they fell. Sasuke found himself holding his breath. He froze. 

“It was true…” Sasuke commented. “Neji...died in the boxcar...didn’t he.” He couldn’t believe he had been oblivious to the whole ordeal. It must have been all over television and the talk of the school. 

Naruto nodded his head up and down. “Hinata blamed us...specifically...Sakura for Neji’s death.”

“Why Sakura?”

“It was Sakura’s idea to explore the train tracks. The day we explored the train tracks. Hinata told Neji he had to go home early...for a family thing, but Neji refused. They argued and Hinata left without him. Neji was coming down with a cold. When we were trapped in the boxcar he became sicker...and sicker. We didn’t have any food and we didn’t have any water.” 

“I’m...sorry.” Sasuke spoke gently. He didn’t know what else to say. It was tragic. What Naruto experienced. It was something ripped from the headlines. An unforeseen tragedy. An accident. He swallowed painfully. He looked down at the rivets in the sand. “I’m sorry you had to experience that…” Nobody should have to experience such a tragic thing. 

“Then...Hinata accidentally fell down the stairs.” Naruto spoke. “We weren’t able to make up with her properly.” 

“It was an accident?” Sasuke blurted out on impulse. 

“What do you mean?”

“Hinata falling down the stairs...was it really an accident, Naruto?” He did it. He asked Naruto clearly, and directly. He locked eyes with him and held his gaze. He forced him to answer.

“Yes!” Naruto answered. “It was an accident! I need to apologize to her and make things up with her...we all do. We will. All of us we’re going to apologize and make things right with her. She’s our friend too. We never stopped being friends...it’s just...a misunderstanding.” Naruto’s answer sounded genuine. He didn’t turn away. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t fidget. He spoke clearly.

Sasuke wondered if Ino was lying. That was a possibility. She could have lied about Sakura pushing Hinata down the stairs to scare him. Kids lied too. She could have been lying about it this whole time. He didn’t know if he trusted Naruto fully...but throughout their conversation, he never got the impression that Naruto was lying or hiding anything. 

“You’re going to make up with Hinata?” He asked. He didn’t understand why he was taking the role of a referee in mending their friendship.

“Yes! Hinata is a precious friend. She’s my precious friend.”

He wondered if there was someone Naruto wasn’t friends with. Did he consider all his friends...precious? Just what was a precious friend? He didn’t know. He thought about the definition. It also meant a beloved person. Of great value not to be wasted or treated carelessly. He didn’t know Naruto yet somehow he could see it being in Naruto’s character to apologize and mend friendships. Would there ever be a time when he became a precious person to Naruto? 

“I also wanted to ask...when you give Hinata her gift can you let her know we all miss her?” Naruto asked. 

“Y...yeah.” He answered. He didn’t want to say that he would probably never give the gift to her because he didn’t know her. He bought it on impulse. He got the gift box on impulse. He was probably going to put it in the drawer of his desk at home next to Naruto’s handkerchief. 

“Thank you, Sasuke!” Naruto said with his dazzling smile. It was contagious. Sasuke found himself smiling back. He was just mirroring Naruto. It came naturally, human reaction. 

The sun hit Naruto and bathed him in a golden glow. His hair looked like it was on fire and he looked like a lion taking step on pride rock. He gasped at how Naruto looked. Maybe Ino was lying. He didn’t understand how Naruto could have actually witnessed Hinata being pushed down the stairs and not doing anything. If that happened...why would he want to mend their friendship? Wouldn’t he be afraid? It was as if a weight was being lifted off his shoulder. He felt...relief. It made sense. Ino was lying. She was a siren who stood back waiting to see a good show and if she wasn’t pleased she was going to drag him down to the depths of the ocean. 

Besides...wouldn’t anyone be a little psychotic after experiencing what they all experienced? How could he fault any of them? Naruto. Sakura. Ino. Kiba. They all experienced the same tragedy. Something as traumatic as that would have residual effects for a long time if not for the rest of their lives. He was feeling...empathy. His heart panged thinking about what they all experienced and survived through. So what if Sakura was clingy and Ino lied? If that was the only side effect...it meant they were slowly healing didn’t it? 

*****

Naruto slept in his own bed that night. He didn’t ask to sleep with him today. He wondered if he asked if he would have agreed. He probably would just based on what Naruto disclosed to him earlier. It was the last night they were in Hawaii. Tomorrow they were flying home. The television was on. There wasn’t anything good on. It was just background noise for Naruto to fall asleep to. He had fallen asleep pretty quickly whereas he hadn’t been able to sleep so readily. 

His mind was full. It felt as if he was forgetting something important. It gnawed at him. He couldn’t put his finger on it. He was replaying the conversation with Naruto on the beach. He was hung up on the fact he didn’t ask directly if Sakura pushed Hinata down the stairs...all he had asked Naruto was if Hinata falling down the stairs was an accident. He wasn’t clear enough. Did it matter? He believed Naruto...it was...just an accident. Why was he still thinking about this?

“Sasuke?” Naruto asked from his bed. “Are you still awake?”

“Hm?” He responded. He blinked and pushed himself up to see Naruto was leaning up in bed. 

“Why are you still up?” Naruto asked.

“I...can’t sleep.” He admitted. 

“Is it because the television and lights are on?”

“No.” It wasn’t. It was because he was thinking about the loopholes in the conversation they had on the beach. He felt too anxious to ask. Fear burrowed a hole in his chest.

“Oh...it’s kind of bittersweet. It’s like I want to go home but at the same time I don’t.” Naruto shifted into a conversation. 

“Yeah…” He agreed. Tomorrow he had to go home. Back to the color-coded, pre-planned, schedule...worse. He had to choose a sports lesson. Golf or tennis. He had to make a decision or else he knew his mother would enroll him in both just to brag to the other country club moms about his accomplishments. 

“Ugh...I can’t sleep either!”

“Naruto…” He decided to ask Naruto his opinion on the two. 

“Hm?”

“If you had to pick between golf or tennis what would you pick?”

“Mhm. Golf looks boring so I guess tennis. I mean is it miniature golf? Because that’s pretty fun.”

“It’s not...just regular golf.”

“Oh definitely tennis.” 

“It does sound more fun…” He agreed. 

Golf seemed stifling. It was serious. He remembered his father telling him he would purposely lose to potential clients. He had to make sure it was close...within a few strokes so he could clinch the deal. His father wanted to make sure the client wins but also wanted to make sure it was close enough so that the deal was still appealing. His father had to show them he had impeccable form and skill. He remembered it also depended on the client. A few clients he had to purposefully win given their personality. It was why it was important to read people. 

He didn’t know anything about tennis. Just that a ball was hit back and forth with a racket across a net. The only reason tennis was even an option was because an olympian was teaching lessons down at the country club. His only fear was that his lessons would evolve to competing like what happened to his piano lessons. His stomach churned. 

“Why do you ask?” 

“I...have to choose between golf lessons or tennis lessons.” 

“You should pick tennis. You look like you need to be more active.”

“Wh...what did you say?” He asked hesitantly because it sounded like an insult. The more he thought of it the angrier he became. 

“You don’t look very athletic and you’re kind of a little skinny too. It would do you good to become more athletic...and eat more you’re a beanpole.” 

He could feel his cheeks turning red. It was true. He wasn’t athletic. He rarely went outside. He looked down at his body. Was he too skinny? A beanpole? He was still growing. He was still a child. The meals he ate were well-balanced and followed the food pyramid. His mother was an aspiring chef and read every brain-food recipe book. He rarely ate sugary or processed foods. He turned and looked at Naruto. He was athletic. He was tan...and although he wasn’t fat..was bigger than he was. He was someone who spent the majority of their time outside in the sun. Healthy. Naruto looked healthy. He didn’t know why Naruto’s words stung maybe because he didn’t want to look like that to Naruto. 

“I...don’t mean anything bad. It’s just...maybe it wouldn’t hurt to become more active. I may not be a super genius but I do have excellent hand-eye coordination.” Naruto continued. He flashed a peace sign. He was bragging. Sasuke stared at him from the corner of his eyes. 

“Fine. I’ll show you. I’ll soon have excellent hand-eye coordination.” He was now determined to take tennis lessons, and show Naruto he could become athletic. “Better than you.” 

Naruto laughed. His laughter was carefree and full of delight. He wondered how he could laugh so...freely. It was refreshing. He found himself hypnotized as Naruto laughed. He wasn’t able to turn away.

“I bet I’m better at tennis than you, and I haven’t even played it properly before.” Naruto teased. “I’m gifted when it comes to sports.” He was bragging again. 

“Hold your tongue. Just wait.” 

“Ok-ok-ok...I’ll wait. I also bet if I try...I can become number one in class ranking.”

“Huh?” 

“I bet if I tried I could usurp you in the class rankings.” 

“Usurp?”

“Yeah. Do you not know what it means?” Naruto asked mischievously. He pushed himself up and smiled smugly at Sasuke. 

“I know what it means...do you?” He laughed. It was ridiculous what Naruto was insinuating. His laughter must have come off as mockery because Naruto straightened up even more and stared at him without smiling. Sasuke held up his hand and he couldn’t stop laughing. 

“It’s funny...I mean you think...you can beat me? You fall asleep in class and consistently forget your textbooks at home. Don’t make me laugh...it hurts.” He held his rib cage as he continued to laugh. He could feel tears brimming his eyes. 

“Hey!” Naruto yelled. His cheeks flushed pink. “I’m smart. You said so yourself...wasn’t it you who copied my homework? Or did you forget?”

“I’m sorry...you’re right. You’re smart.” He immediately stopped laughing when Naruto brought up him copying his homework. He hadn’t forgotten. He muttered under his breath. “Just not as smart as me.” 

“I heard that!” Naruto yelled. Naruto’s reaction caused Sasuke to break out into more laughter. Naruto picked up a pillow and threw it at Sasuke’s head. It hit him square in the face and he erupted into another fit of giggles. It didn’t stop Sasuke from laughing, it seemed the pillow hitting him only caused him to laugh harder. 

Naruto stopped laughing. He kept staring over at Sasuke who continued laughing. He watched as Sasuke pulled the pillow from his head and tossed the pillow to the side. 

“Your laugh…” Naruto commented. “It’s...really nice.” 

“Ey?” Sasuke asked. He was thrown from the compliment and the shock of it caused him to stop laughing.

“You have a good laugh...and an even better smile.”

Sasuke was dumbfounded. He stopped smiling. He stopped laughing. His face, neck, and ears reddened. Nobody has ever told him that before. He was self-conscious. He didn’t know how to react. He felt his breathing becoming erratic. His heart fluttered. Why did Naruto have to say these things so freely and unabashedly? He didn’t know how to react. He simply froze. 

“You should smile and laugh more.” Naruto continued. He said everything so casually and without shame. Was it because he was so confident? Where did he get such confidence? 

“Th-thanks.” He yammered. He didn’t know what else to say. He fell back on manners. 

“I’m glad you decided to come on the class trip. I had a lot of fun.” Naruto continued. He flopped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “Yeah...I had a lot of fun with you.” 

“Mhm.” He didn’t know what else to say. 

When Naruto switched to these types of conversations he didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know if he had fun. He had spent the majority of the time confused, scared, and anxious. Most of the reason was Ino using scare tactics on him to make him leave Naruto alone...even when he left Naruto alone it wasn’t like he could shake him. He also didn’t want to admit he kind of liked it that Naruto didn’t leave him alone. Was there something wrong with him?

“I know you didn’t have as much fun as you should. I promise when we get back home I’ll make sure you experience a lot of fun things, okay Sasuke?” 

Naruto’s words had a way of wrapping around him and comforting him like an electric heating blanket. It made him feel safe and secure. He wanted to trust those words but there was something inside him that prevented him from fully trusting him. An invisible barrier came down when he reached his hand out he felt the invisible forcefield. He wasn’t able to move any closer to Naruto. He wondered if it was the magical barrier that he witnessed whenever Naruto was around Sakura. The loopholes in the conversation he had with him on the beach. 

“Sasuke...did you hear me?” 

He didn’t answer Naruto. His mind was still whirling and recovering from his words. They weren’t just any words...it was a promise. He promised to have him experience more fun things. The words were foreign. A promise. I promise. He wasn’t sure he was able to answer. It didn’t make sense. He felt something heavy colliding into him. It felt as if he was struck by an asteroid. It knocked the breath out of him and he gasped. Fighting to breathe he looked up and saw Naruto was on top of him. He had grabbed a pillow and slammed it down on Sasuke’s chest before placing his own weight on top of the pillow. 

“I said...did you hear me?” 

“Y...e..s. Get-off!” He choked. Naruto laughed and rolled off him and moved to his side on Sasuke’s bed. He began wheezing for breath. “You...choked me!”

“Sorry-sorry. I just wanted to make sure you heard me.” 

“What are…” He balked as he turned to see Naruto wiggling himself under the comforter next to him.

“I’m already here, might as well sleep right?”

“Wh...at?” His mind was whirling again. “No...that’s not how things work…” 

“Goodnight Sasuke!” Naruto spoke before curling up into a ball and rolling in the opposite direction. 

He stared at Naruto’s spine. He was in disbelief that Naruto had seemingly conned his way back into his bed. He didn’t understand...why. Was it because Naruto was really afraid? It must be. He must have been right. He wasn’t as upset as he was last night. He could feel his heart beating in his throat. He wasn’t upset. He was just...well...he didn’t know how he felt. He wasn’t...angry. He was...exhausted? 

He was too tired to argue with Naruto. 

He thought about slipping out of bed and sleeping in Naruto’s bed but decided against it. He didn’t not like sleeping in the same bed as him. This would also be the last time. They wouldn’t do this again. When he thought about that he felt his chest sting. He focused on his breathing and calmed down. It didn’t take long the pain in his chest left. This was the last time. He could feel the emitting warmness coming off of Naruto. It was a comforting feeling to have someone so close. Was this what Naruto felt? It was...comforting to him. He closed his eyes and within seconds finally drifted off into sleep.

*****

“Sasuke.” 

His mother’s voice rang out. He was next to Naruto. They had just picked up their suitcases from the conveyor belt. She was dressed in a Ralph Lauren wellesley dress. She looked powerful. She was wearing gold jewelry and designer pumps. He watched as her eyes went immediately to Naruto. He knew she disproved in the 2.4 seconds she looked at him. Naruto was...scruffy. He was an alley dog and she only wanted her sons hanging out with purebred pedigrees. He said goodbye to Naruto and left. 

“Who was that?” She asked as he followed her out of the airport.

“My partner.”

“Does that mean anything to me? What is his name, Sasuke.” She asked angrily. She sounded exhausted as if she was already fed up with him. He was always on eggshells with her. He could never just do what she wanted. 

“Naruto Namikaze.” 

“Namikaze?” She clarified.

“Mhm.” 

“Minato!” His mother changed before his eyes. Her face warmed and brightened. She smiled and her voice became higher pitched. She talked with a sweetness she used when hosting in the formal dining room. She had brought her arm up and waved to a messy, blonde-haired, blue-eyed man. He could tell by looking at him this was Naruto’s father. He didn’t need a DNA test to prove that. He was staring at an adult Naruto and he found himself blushing. 

“Is that you...Mikoto?” Minato greeted her with a warm smile. He had to do a double-take. He saw that smile before...that was Naruto’s smile. 

“I didn’t realize our sons went to the same school...let alone were in the same class. Sasuke was just telling me he had fun on his trip to Hawaii and that Naruto was his partner.” 

His mother lied effortlessly. It came naturally to her. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed gently. He knew that from an outsider’s view it was a loving gesture a mother did when talking about their child. Only he knew he had messed up by not telling her something she needed to know. He hated it when she wanted him to be a clairvoyant and tell her things he didn’t even know she wanted to know. Case in point. That Naruto Namikaze was in his class. He knew by her demeanor and her cheap charismatic smile that Minato Namikaze was a business associate working with his father. He was quick on the uptick. 

“I’m just picking him up now!” Minato said with a smile. “A little late.” 

“Since our sons are friends we should have you guys over for dinner one of these nights.” She offered the invitation in her sweetest voice. She was a hypocrite. She hated Naruto the moment she laid eyes on him. Her tone changed when she found out who he was. 

“If you’re cooking...I wouldn’t turn down an invitation from you. Have you gone back into cooking professionally?” 

“Nope. My arms are tied, raising Sasuke. I just do it for fun.” She gushed and wrapped her other arm around him. He knew to smile and play the role of the pious child. Her grip acted like an anchor ready to pull him down and drown him if he embarrassed her. “I have to get going but I’ll have Fukaku reach out on a date to come over for dinner. Take care!”

“I’ll let Kushina know. I’ll talk to you later. I need to get Naruto before he thinks I’ve abandoned him.” Minato’s laughter was contagious. His eyes brightened when he looked at him. Naruto was the spitting image of him. He was in disbelief. His mother wasn’t just smart she was clever. She was always five steps ahead in the chess game of life. 

“Who...is Minato Namikaze?” He asked. 

“He’s the head of H Firm, the company your father’s company is in the process of merging with. This is a very important merger for your father’s company. If this merger isn’t successful your father’s company could go bankrupt.” 

He put his suitcase in the trunk of the SUV and slid into the passenger seat. 

“Are you friends with Naruto?” His mother asked when he fastened his seatbelt.

“I’m not...sure.” He answered honestly. “We’re assignment partners in class, and we were partners on the trip.” 

“I want you to become Naruto’s friend.” She commanded. Her voice was back to being short and sharp. 

She didn’t ask him how his trip went. She didn’t ask if he had fun. She didn’t even ask if he brought home any souvenirs. He wouldn’t be able to tell her that he only bought one souvenir. She continued to talk about the importance of befriending certain people depending on who their parents are. He lost interest. He ignored her. He started picking the skin around his fingers. 

“That reminds me. Are you going to take golf or tennis lessons?” 

“Tennis.” He answered quickly. 

“Perfect. I’ll introduce you to the new tennis coach down at the country club. He was in the Olympics.” 

He stared out the window. It had started to rain. It was so bright, sunny, and warm in Hawaii. The sky was clear and everything was cheerful. He looked at the murky sky. It was still bleak here. He stopped listening to his mother again. She continued to talk about the business merger, tennis lessons, his upcoming piano recital, followed by a lecture on maintaining his grades. His mind kept slipping back to Naruto. He and his parents were going to come over for dinner? Naruto was going to come to his house? He couldn’t help but smile. Maybe this wouldn’t have been a terrible outcome after all. She had no choice but to approve of Naruto as a friend. He counted this as a victory. 

“You’ll start lessons with Hizashi Hyuuga this week.”

Sasuke shifted back into reality. The name sounded familiar. He blinked. “Hyuuga?” He asked.

“Yes. his name is Hizashi Hyuuga.”

“Is he related to Hinata Hyuuga?”

“Yes. Hinata is his niece although I heard she fell down the stairs last semester at your school and broke her neck. Poor thing is currently confined to a wheelchair. She has a long road of recovery before she is able to walk again. The Hyuuga’s are a powerful family. Old money. She’ll be fine. I saw her at the country club when I met Hizashi. He has been taking her to the club when he goes. She has become severely depressed. Maybe you can talk to her when you go. I wouldn’t mind our families becoming friends. It’s good to have allies like the Hyuuga’s.”

His mind went blank again. Hinata was Hizashi's niece...and she would be at the country club when he was getting his tennis lessons? He thought back to the gift box in his backpack. He would be able to give her the gift after all...and he would be able to speak to her. He wondered if there was a God sometimes because the universe had a funny way of aligning just so.


	4. They faced each other

#  **They faced each other**

He heard muffled giggling and whispers before entering the classroom. It was the first day of school following their class trip to Hawaii. He walked in and instantaneously knew what all the hushed fuss was about. His desk and chair were covered in trash, and he could see written phrases across the top of his desk. He walked closer to his desk. His shoes felt like they were cement blocks. His messenger bag felt like it was loaded with rocks. The giggles erupted into laughter. He could hear his classmates talking. It sounded like he was underwater. His voice caught in the back of his throat. A sea witch stole it and kept it in a necklace around her neck. 

He froze. He couldn’t move. Couldn’t think. He simply shut down. Hawaii seemed an eternity ago.

“What’s all the ruckus about? Everyone back to their desks.” The teacher spoke loudly as he entered the classroom. Everyone immediately shut up and returned to their seats. “Sasuke?” The teacher asked. “Alright. Who did this?” The teacher reprimanded. “I will not tolerate bullying in this classroom.” His voice was firm. The class grew eerily silent. “The whole class will stay after school for detention until I find the culprit!” 

“WHAT?!” There were collective protests across the room. He could feel the vibrations. 

“Mr. Umino...it was like that when I got here. Why should we all be punished for a silly prank?” 

“It isn’t fair! I didn’t see anything.”

“Yeah it was like that when we came into the classroom.” 

“Who says it was even someone from our class?”

“Yea it could be anyone in the school. It was like that when we got here!”

“Honestly. If I knew who it was I would tell you. I have rehearsal after school. I can’t miss it. We perform in two weeks.” Sakura said abruptly. Her voice cut over everyone else’s. She slammed her hands on the desk as she stood up. Her chair moved back and Sasuke could hear the skidding of the chair feet across the floor. He saw her from the corner of his eye. She picked up the classroom garbage pail and walked over to Sasuke’s desk and began picking up the trash. 

“Thank you Sakura.” The teacher spoke. 

“What’s going on?” Ino asked from the doorway. 

“One of your classmates thought it funny to bully Sasuke by writing on his desk and dumping trash on it. This is unacceptable behavior and everyone will stay after school for detention until the culprit comes forward.”

“I just got here.” Ino protested. 

“Everyone.” The teacher clarified. 

There were still loud protests erupting around the classroom. Sakura finished cleaning up the trash. She didn’t look at Sasuke. He couldn’t read her face. “I’m going to wash my hands.” She announced and the teacher nodded his head. She left the classroom as Ino entered. If Sakura did it she performed beautifully. 

“Sasuke I will notify the maintenance worker at lunchtime to bring you a new desk.” The teacher said and put a hand on his shoulder. “Until then why don’t you sit at Naruto’s desk. He’s out sick for the day.” 

He was running on autopilot. He pulled Naruto’s chair out and sat at his desk. He tried to avoid what was written on his desk but it drew him in like a venus fly trap. The words were vulgar. No friends. Useless. Kill yourself. Pathetic. Teacher’s pet. His eyes kept wandering back to that one phrase. He didn’t understand why. He felt someone staring at him. He turned his head and saw Ino was looking directly at him. He caught her gaze and she smirked. She held that smug satisfaction smile for a few more seconds before turning away. 

It was Ino. It had to be. Or Sakura. Or they did it together...maybe Kiba. Who else could it be? Maybe they were all working together. He was going to get to the bottom of it. 

*****

He cornered Ino as she exited the bathroom. It was during lunch time and there were kids moving around the hallway. They weren’t alone. It was out in public. She stopped and looked up at him. She was surprised. It was similar to how it was in the Art Museum. Ino didn’t make a fuss. 

“Are you stalking the girl’s bathroom you pervert?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what? Oh. You mean trashed your desk?” She laughed. 

“Yes.”

“I didn’t.” Ino said matter-of-factly and with a shrug of her shoulder. She dropped her smile. “I was late to school.” 

“Then who did?”

“How should I know? Do you think I keep tabs on everyone in our class at all times?” 

“Did Sakura do it?”

“Of course not. She wouldn’t do something so...public.” Her eyes shifted away and he knew the only person left was... 

“Kiba?”

Ino shrugged. She became annoyed. Her face scrunched up. “I don’t know! Stop asking me. I don’t care what happens to you, or who did it.” He wasn’t sure if he believed her or not. She had come in late to school. She could be telling the truth. If it was Sakura...would she tell? She could be covering up for her, or it could have been Kiba. Although he didn’t understand the motive for Kiba. He remembered Kiba walking on the bus and seeing Naruto grabbing his wrist. That couldn’t be a reason...could it? 

Were they all just obsessed with Naruto? 

“Ask him.” Sasuke demanded. He wasn’t going to let her leave. Their voices were at normal pitch and tone. They weren’t suspicious. 

“Why should I?” Ino asked and she had a ‘ _what’s in it for me_ ’ expression. 

“You like watching entertaining things don’t you?” 

“You make it sound like I’m some peeping tom when you’re the one posted outside the girl’s bathroom. You pervert.” 

“Ask him.” Sasuke repeated. He was firm. He didn’t say anything else. He walked to the teacher’s office. He was summoned there by the teacher to discuss what had happened this morning. He was dreading this conversation. He was fearful the teacher would call home and tell his mother he was being bullied.

*****

“I want to apologize for what happened to you this morning.” The teacher spoke. His voice was kind. 

“It’s okay. I’m not upset or anything. They didn’t ruin any of my belongings. No real damage happened.” It was true. When he reached into his desk to pull out his school supplies everything was in mint condition. It was all surface level. 

“No, Sasuke. It shouldn’t have happened. I’ll get to the bottom of it. Naruto is out sick for the day I was wondering if you would drop off his school work for him today. I know he lives in the same neighborhood as you.”

The teacher handed him a large tan-colored envelope. He took it. He didn’t know why he felt anxious. Like he shouldn’t talk to Naruto. They had left on good terms at the airport. He couldn’t help but think of Ino warning him about getting too close to Naruto. He didn’t want the bullying to escalate. That was it. He knew what he needed to do. He was going to look for Sakura. He found her sitting outside under the large oak tree in the courtyard. She was surrounded by others he didn’t recognize. He walked up to her.

“Hi Sakura.” He greeted her with a charismatic smile. The one his mother helped him perfect. She stared up at him. She wasn’t smiling. There was a coldness in her eyes. She looked at him as if he was as insignificant as a speck in the universe. 

“What do you want?” She demanded. She wasn’t acting sweet and nice like all the other times before. Her face twisted into disgust. 

“Here.” He handed her the tan envelope. He just wanted things to stop. He was waving a white flag. 

“What is it?”

“It’s Naruto’s schoolwork for today will you bring it to him for me?”

“Huh?” Her mouth made a perfect ‘o’ as she registered what he was saying. She held out both hands and took the envelope. “Yeah...sure.” 

“Thank you.” He didn’t say anything else and left. 

*****

The teacher kept his word. Everyone except him was held back after school. Including Ino. He was free to leave. It didn’t matter to him. He had to go home and get changed as he was going to be attending his first tennis lessons tonight. He knew he looked ridiculous. He had a headband around his forehead to help soak up the sweat but it was useless. He wore shorts and a form-fitting t-shirt that immediately became drenched in sweat. 

He didn’t know that Hizashi was a male version of his mother. He wasn’t just going to teach him the basics of tennis. Hizashi was training him as if he were going to go to the Olympics. It was a two-hour lesson to gauge where his skill level was. The first thirty minutes Hizashi pelted tennis balls at him and he was made to strike the tennis ball with his racquet across the net. He failed miserably. The remaining hour and a half He made him do different exercises. He found himself collapsed on the court at the country club wheezing. 

“He’s out of shape.” Hizashi commented to his mother. “He has the flexibility of a metal pole and the hand-eye coordination of a toddler.” 

“I’m raising geniuses, Hizashi. Not professional sports players.” 

He stopped listening to their conversation. They were going to get a drink while he washed up. After he was finished showering he changed clothes and dried his hair. He began walking through the club looking for his mother...no that wasn’t true. He was pretending to look for his mother. He really wanted to find Hinata. He wondered if she was here today. Hizashi has been bringing Hinata to the country club on the days he gives tennis lessons. That’s what his mother said. 

He was about to give up when he found her. He had flashes of her image in his memory. They were pixelated and large parts were missing as if she was nothing more than a hologram. It was her. He knew it. Even if he hadn’t formally met her he knew it was her because she was wearing a neck brace. She wasn’t seated in a wheelchair as his mother claimed. She was sitting at one of the tables and she appeared to be sketching. 

He didn’t know what he was doing. His body walked up to her and he just stood there. Next to the table and stared down at her. She looked up. She had upturned eyes with thick eyelashes. Her nose was small and suited her face. Her eyes were a milky blue as if someone poured cream into her corneas. Her hair was just as inky black as his own and touched her shoulders with blunted bangs. 

She didn’t say anything, and he didn’t say anything. 

It was silent with neither saying anything. The silence was growing louder. He thought about saying something, anything, to break the silence. His mind went blank. He expected her to say something...ask him what he wanted, ask him why he was here, standing over her, and not saying anything. She didn’t. She just kept staring. The silence was growing uncomfortably long. He didn’t know how much time was lapsing. He also couldn’t look away. His eyes were locked with hers. He blurted out the first sentence that ran across his mind. 

“I bought you a shelled bracelet in Hawaii.”

She didn’t say anything. She blinked a few times. 

“You...what?” She asked. Her voice was small. Almost as if she was talking barely above a whisper. It strained his ears to listen. 

“The class trip we went to Hawaii and you weren’t there so I purchased you a souvenir.” He explained. She smiled. 

“You went on the class trip?”

He nodded his head. She pushed herself back. It was hard for her to move her head with the neckbrace. She had to turn at her waist. She shifted in her chair so that she was comfortably facing him. 

“I didn’t think you would.” She stated softly. “What made you go?”

“Naruto.” He blurted out again. Again he said the first word that popped across his mind. “He’s my new assigned partner since...since…”

“I fell down the stairs?” 

“Uh...yeah…” He hesitated. He wanted to confirm with Hinata that it was an accident but he couldn’t. It felt as if that was a forbidden question he wasn’t allowed to ask. Not yet at least. 

“Naruto is your partner? That’s good. How are things going?” The way she said it sent a tingle down his spine. It was as if she was in on the secret. Maybe she was. He had a good belief that Neji, Hinata, Naruto, Kiba, Ino, and Sakura were close friends at one point. Until the incident with the boxcars followed by Hinata tumbling down the stairs. He was Sherlock Holmes piecing everything together. 

“Awful!” He blurted out again. He didn’t know why talking to Hinata felt like he had drunk a truth serum. This was the first time ever talking to her but it felt as if he knew her. He did. They were partners for the entire first part of the school year. Maybe that was why he felt so comfortable with her. She sat next to him every day at school. 

She laughed. “You’re the first one that has ever said being Naruto’s partner is awful.” 

Maybe she didn’t know how obsessive Sakura was with Naruto. 

“Why?” He asked. 

“Naruto is liked by everyone. He doesn’t have any enemies and even adults like him. He’s like...the sun. Liked and loved by everyone.” 

Sasuke shrugged. He remembered Naruto’s behaviors when they were alone on the bus. They were frightening. Erratic. Desperate. Rough. He remembered Naruto slipping into his hotel bed stating he was afraid. He was vulnerable and appeared small and childlike. He didn’t know who the real Naruto was. Maybe he was somewhere in the middle. 

“You don’t think so?” Hinata asked curiously. 

“I don’t think we’re friends.” 

“Naruto...is a wonderful person. He’s athletic, he’s charming, he’s nice, he’s smart...he’s perfect!” She praised him as if he were an Olympian God. He watched as her cheeks became beat red. He saw it. Hinata liked Naruto more than a friend. 

“You like-him-like-him, too.” He blurted out again. He remembered Sakura’s cheeks turning pink when she was around him. 

“Ey?” Hinata gasped and raised her hands. “It’s...not...I mean...I…” She couldn’t even bring herself to lie. She covered her face with her hands. Sasuke pulled a chair out and officially joined her at the table. She moved her fingers so she could peek out. “Is it that obvious?” She asked. 

He nodded his head up and down. It was obvious. 

“I’m still working up the courage to tell him how I feel. I just hope...he doesn’t hate me.” The happiness and sparkle on her face vanished. Darkness washed over her face. A realization. 

“Hate you? Why would he hate you?” He couldn’t picture Naruto hating anyone. He was friendly to everyone. 

“We got into an argument before I fell.” Hinata confessed. “I...I couldn’t remember anything at first after I woke up in the hospital. I’ve been getting my memory back little by little and I know Naruto and I argued. 

“You...don’t remember the accident?” He asked. 

“No...I just remember walking down the hallway towards the stairs then it’s all blank. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital.” 

“What did you and Naruto-”

“There you are Sasuke!” His mother's voice silenced him. She had appeared next to Hizashi. His mother always had the worst timing. He could see the glimmer in her eyes. She was pleased he was talking to Hinata. “It’s time for us to go. We’ll see you next week, Hizashi. Again thank you so much.” 

He wasn’t able to say anything else to Hinata and she offered no words. They both became quiet. Neither said goodbye. He wondered if she would be here next week. He had more questions he wanted to ask her, more importantly, he wanted to know what she and Naruto argued about. 

*****

The next day when he entered the classroom he saw Naruto sitting at his desk. He was wearing a white mask over his face. Was he still sick? He looked around the classroom. Everyone avoided his eyes. It felt like he was a pariah. Naruto was turned around in his seat and he was talking to several classmates, Sakura specifically. His blue eyes were focused on her. 

“Who did it?” Naruto asked. His voice was muffled from the mask. 

“I don’t know.” Sakura answered. “I would have already told the teacher if I knew something! You know this.” Sakura’s voice was flustered. She was acting as if she was defending herself. Her face was pink with embarrassment. He knew what the conversation was about without having to ask. Naruto had found out what happened yesterday. 

“I hate this kind of thing the most.” Naruto commented. 

Naruto turned back around in his seat and ignored Sakura. She didn’t say anything else and stormed back to her seat. She caught him looking at her and glared at him as if everything was his fault. Everything happened so fast. He had no choice but to go and sit at his desk. He didn’t understand why she was angry with him. His old desk was replaced and even though the new desk was clean he could still see the words written in black sharpie. 

“G’mornin’ Sasuke!” Naruto greeted happily. 

“Why are you in school...you still look sick.” He commented as he sat at his desk. 

“I couldn’t stand another day of my mother fussing over me. It was suffocating. I’d rather be here than with her babying me.” 

He couldn’t relate. The last time he was sick his mother gave him medicine and left him alone to fight the fever. He didn’t say anything else to Naruto. He pulled out his mathematics textbook. 

“I forgot my text-” Naruto said but before he could finish he slid the textbook over to him. “Thanks!” 

That lunch he wanted to be alone. Naruto had decided to stay in the classroom as he was still recovering, and he knew Sakura, Ino, and Kiba would be with him. He didn’t have the energy to deal with any of them. He left first and went to the library. He chose a table in the way back where nobody ventured. He brought his history textbook with him and read the entire lunch period. He returned to the classroom just before the teacher did and sat down next to Naruto.

“Where did you go during lunch? I wanted to eat lunch with you.” Naruto asked. He shrugged and didn’t answer as the teacher started the lecture. Naruto looked disappointed and turned in his seat to see the teacher. 

After school, again, their teacher held everyone back for one hour. He allowed Naruto to leave as he was absent, and Naruto walked with him out of school. It was impossible to shake him. 

“Sakura brought me my school work yesterday.” Naruto commented. He didn’t say anything. He just kept walking. “Why didn’t you bring it?” Naruto asked. He swallowed and his eyes focused on the ground. “I figured the teacher would ask you to bring it since we’re partners.” 

“I didn’t want to.” He answered. It was the truth. “I knew Sakura did.” 

“Okay...” Naruto elongated the word into three syllables. “When are you going to come over to my house?” 

“Why would I come over?” 

“Because we’re friends.”

“No we’re not.” He corrected. 

“If you come over we’ll be closer...”

“Pass.”

“That’s not fair. I get to see your room but you won’t come to mine?”

He stopped walking and stared at Naruto. “What do you mean? I didn’t invite you over.”

“Your mother invited our family to dinner this Friday.” 

“Oh.” He said and started walking down the sidewalk. He had forgotten his mother invited their family over. He stopped in front of the bus sign. Naruto stopped next to him. 

“Are you okay?” Naruto asked. He sounded genuine. 

“Mhm.”

“About yesterday and what-”

“Naruto it’s fine. Don’t bring it up again. I’m over it.” He snapped. He knew he was going to bring up the defacing of his desk and trash being dumped everywhere. Naruto became quiet. Nothing else was spoken.

*****

Nobody had fessed up. The teacher kept everyone in the classroom for one hour after school ended the whole week. He wondered how long he was going to keep doing this. Maybe it was a power move on the teacher’s half as well as teaching them there are consequences to actions. He had barely spoken to Naruto all week. He was confused. He had taken his lunches in the library and declined Naruto’s invitations to go to his house every time he asked. Friday night had come quickly and he was anxious. He didn’t know why seeing Naruto was making him more anxious even his father being present didn’t settle his nerves. He picked at the skin nervously around his nails. 

He walked into the foyer of their house where the Namikaze’s were being greeted. He was made to dress nicely. Business casual. A polo shirt and khakis. He recognized Naruto’s father, Minato. He was also dressed business casual in a button-up shirt. The next person he was introduced to was Naruto’s mother, Kushina. She was a beautiful woman dressed in a flowing emerald dress. She had long flowing auburn hair with woven gold. Everything..flowed with her. She was expressive and warm and radiant. It clicked. Of course, someone like Naruto would have parents like these. 

Naruto, surprisingly enough, was also dressed nicely. It didn’t suit him. It looked forced. He could tell by Naruto’s expression he was forced to wear these clothes. He looked uncomfortable. He smiled because Naruto was just as uncomfortable as him. They dined in the formal dining room. The table was still too big even with six people filling it. Minato and Kushina sat next to each other on one side of the table, and he and Naruto sat on the other side of the table. Posted at both ends were his parents. 

Tonight's menu was surf and turf. Steak and lobster with risotto and a vegetable medley. He tried not zoning out at dinner. It was automatic. His mind filtered out everyone and he was alone at the table eating. 

“Sasuke has recently started tennis lessons.” His mother spoke. This was the part of the dinner where his mother was going to talk as if he wasn’t here. “I think it’s very important for a child to be well-rounded and versed in many extracurricular activities. He attends several cram schools, piano lessons, and now tennis lessons.” 

“We just let Naruto do what he wants, we don’t force anything on him.” 

He didn’t know why he was beginning to resent Naruto. He couldn’t sit another minute. He felt sick. He felt lightheaded. He stood up.

“Excuse me. I’m not feeling well. I’m going to go lay down.” He spoke politely before excusing himself. He could feel the penetrating eyes of his mother following him disapprovingly. The moment he left the dining room, and the door closed behind him, he started inhaling deeply. It felt good to breathe. He started walking away when he heard the door opening up behind him. He froze and turned slowly expecting his mother to be there to berate him. Instead, it was Naruto. He exhaled in relief. 

“What are you doing?” He asked.

“Following you, what else does it look like I’m doing? I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Naruto answered bluntly and closed the door behind him. 

“I don’t feel good, I'm going to go lay down.” He said and turned around. He hoped Naruto would get the message he wanted to be alone. He didn’t and started following him up the stairs. He was too mentally exhausted to argue with him and let him follow. Naruto trailed behind him like a lost puppy. His room was rather boring. It was monochrome. There weren’t any posters on the walls, or gaming systems, or even a television. It was minimalistic. 

“I knew it...your room is exactly like a serial killer’s!” Naruto exclaimed as he entered his room.

“A serial killer?” 

“Yes. Serial killers are the quiet, smart, methodical types that are easily overlooked. You fit the description.” 

He didn’t say anything else and just stared at Naruto for a few moments. He didn’t understand how his brain worked. He turned around and did what he said he was going to do. He went on his bed and laid down. He could hear Naruto walking across his room and sitting down at his desk chair. His room was boring. There was nothing to do except sleep and study. 

“Did I do...something to upset you?” Naruto asked. “If I did...let me know so I can apologize or fix it.” 

“What are you talking about?” He asked and pushed himself into a sitting position. 

“You...you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder all week. I don’t understand. I thought we patched things up in Hawaii.” Naruto stared at him waiting for an answer and when he didn’t get one he began talking again. “The only thing that I can think of...is what happened to your desk.”

“Do you know who did it?” He asked. Naruto looked away. “You do know.” He jumped off his bed and walked towards Naruto. “Who is it?” He demanded. He was standing over Naruto. 

“Kiba...he did it as a prank.”

“Why did he do it?”

Naruto didn’t answer. 

He exhaled loudly. He knew it had to be one of the three. Ino must have asked Kiba, and either Ino or Kiba told Naruto what had happened. The conversation he entered in the classroom made sense. Naruto wasn’t just asking about who did it out of all their classmates. He was asking who did it out of their little group. 

“You’re going to protect him...aren’t you?” He asked Naruto. He waited for a response. Now it was Naruto’s turn to stop talking. He clammed up and looked down, avoiding his eyes. Naruto didn’t answer why Kiba did it and he clearly said he was going to protect him even knowing what he had done. He didn’t know why he asked. He walked back to his bed. 

“Would it change anything between us if I told the teacher it was Kiba?” Naruto asked. 

“I just want things to stop.” He admitted. “I want to keep my distance from you because I don’t want these things to continue, or escalate...and I don’t want to be pushed down the stairs.” 

“What do you mean I told you it was an accident!” Naruto’s desperate voice was back. He reverted back to how he was acting on the bus. His mask didn’t just fall off it shattered. 

“Look. I’m...getting exhausted…” Naruto spoke. “I can’t be around them all the time like they want. It’s exhausting. That’s why I kept staying with you in the hotel room. It gave me a break and being around you isn’t exhausting. Even if you’re as prickly as a porcupine...I’m not exhausted when I’m around you.”

He lost count of how many times Naruto said he was exhausted. His voice and expression told him he was telling the truth. He was exhausted being around Sakura, Ino, and Kiba all the time. 

“I would rather spend the night watching cartoons with you...than another minute with them at the luau. It was suffocating and it felt like I couldn’t breathe.” 

He felt his heart flutter again and he could feel his cheeks warming. He did wonder why Naruto was spending so much time with him. Why he left the luau to spend the night watching cartoons with him. He was cold to Naruto. He barely spoke to him. 

“If I talk to you...will stuff like that keep happening to me?” He asked. 

“No. I already told them to leave you alone. It won’t happen again...I promise.” 

“I don’t know why you want to be my friend so badly.” He commented out loud. He had meant to think it but it was blurted out. He didn’t like that his filter was beginning to weaken. 

“I can be myself around you.” Naruto answered with a smile. He flipped a switch again. His mask was glued back together and he was wearing it. Naruto changed moods faster than a speeding bullet. 

Naruto was...scary. He felt nervous again. 

“If anything happens to me again I’m not going to talk to you.” He cemented. He was drawing a line. If it was crossed he was going to wipe his hands clean from him, all of them. 

“Okay!” Naruto answered confidently. “So what’s the deal with the serial killer room?”

“It-it’s not! If you don’t like it, leave.” 

Naruto erupted into laughter. “I was only kidding. You don’t have to be so serious all the time. I like it better when you laugh...or at least smile.”

“Nothing you said was funny.” He mumbled. He looked at his bookcase. There was a chess game on it. He looked back at Naruto. “Do you know how to play chess?” 

“A little.”

“Do you want to play?”

“Yeah!” Naruto answered happily. He was momentarily stunned by his smile. Hinata was right. Naruto was as bright as the sun. He filled his room with warmth. He could feel it. 

He stood up and grabbed the chess game from the shelf and placed it on the floor. His room was clean and his floor was spotless. It was a glass set. One side was black-glass and the other clear-white glass. The board was also made of glass. He had gotten it as a Christmas gift from his mother. He often wondered if he dropped it high enough if it would shatter beyond recognition. 

He looked up at him. Naruto was in front of him and crossed his legs. He kneeled down. They finished setting up the board. 

“I’m white?” Naruto asked. He nodded his head. “So I go first?” He nodded his head again. 

Naruto moved his pawn. It was a standard move. In response, he moved his pawn and blocked Naruto’s pawn. It was a standoff. Both pawns were stuck in the middle of the board for now. Naruto moved a knight. He moved another pawn. He was surprised to find Naruto quiet. He didn’t say anything and his focus remained on the board. His blue eyes seemed to look at every piece and he appeared in deep thought. Was he actually trying to come up with a strategy? 

Naruto moved another pawn. He moved his bishop. He didn’t understand Naruto’s movements. Naruto captured his pawn. The game went back and forth. Neither spoke. It was a game of concentration. He had felt Naruto was taking it seriously. He had checked Naruto the first time. He wanted to exert dominance. It didn’t phase Nartuo. The game continued. Naruto was now on the offense. He misread one of his moves and before he knew it Naruto said.

“Check.” 

He looked at the board and saw Naruto’s queen in the back row with his king in her path. He moved his knight and took out Naruto’s queen. Naruto moved his rook. 

“Checkmate.” Naruto spoke clearly and confidently. He leaned back and smiled smugly. 

“Huh?!” 

What? He looked at the board again. He looked at all the pieces. He couldn’t move. Naruto won. He pushed his King over and exhaled. He didn’t expect Naruto to be so...good. 

“I won!” Naruto cheered and clapped his hands. 

“You’re really good.” He commented. “More than a little good.” He narrowed his eyes. It felt as if he was cheated somehow. 

Naruto flashed a mischievous smile. “You asked me if I played chess...not if I was good at chess. My dad taught me and we play from time to time. I have only managed to beat him one time.” 

“Oh really?”

“Yeah...you’re pretty good, but you’re completely readable on what you were going to do.” 

Sasuke’s door opened and his mother popped her head in. He was in transit with Naruto’s words. He was saying that he was easily readable? Naruto read every move he was going to make? How? He turned to see his mother smiling warmly from the doorway. “Naruto, your parents are ready to leave now.” 

He hadn’t realized how much time had passed. For a moment. He didn’t want Naruto to leave. For a fraction of a second, he wanted a rematch. He wanted to protest and beg for a little more time. He wanted to do a rematch and he wanted to win. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to beat Naruto and have him look at him in awe. He didn’t say anything. He watched as Naruto stood up. 

“Bye Sasuke. I’ll see you in school on Monday.” 

“Bye.” He spoke softly. 

He watched as his mother escorted Naruto out of his room. She closed the door behind her without another word. He was alone in his room again. It felt cold. He sat there for a few moments processing what had happened. He looked at the board. At his fallen king. He looked at Naruto’s side. 

He didn’t understand Naruto at all. He left him confused. 

*****

“What do you think of Naruto?” Hinata asked. She had been sitting at the same table. She was drinking orange juice through a straw and she had her sketchbook with a set of pencils and an eraser. He glanced down to see she was sketching hands. Detailed hands in different poses. She was really talented. 

“He’s pushy...you can’t say no to him. He seems to always get his way. He’s spoiled and I think he’s hiding a secret.” Every muscle in his body ached from his tennis lesson. It was a repeat of last week. It also didn’t help that Hinata gave off the aura of a psychologist offering up advice for five cents. He felt comfortable with her. Was this how Naruto felt with him? Comfortable?

“Hiding a secret?” Hinata repeated. “What kind of secret?” She didn’t know. He wanted to tell her but didn’t.

“I don’t know...it just feels like he has a secret.” 

“Did you bring my souvenir?” She asked. He had forgotten. He frowned. It was still in his top drawer next to Naruto’s handkerchief. His stomach churned. He still hadn’t given Naruto’s handkerchief back. 

“I didn’t know if you would be here or not…” He answered truthfully. He was happy when he found her here. 

“I come here Monday nights with my Uncle. I can’t bear to come more than once. I can’t do anything.” 

He nodded in agreement. Hinata was healing from a broken neck. It isn't like she could fully participate in any of the club’s activities, lessons, and groups. All she could do was sit at a table and draw. 

“How was Naruto on the classtrip?” 

“He wouldn’t leave me alone; it felt like he was glued to me the majority of the time.” 

“I wonder why.” Hinata thought out loud. “Did he not hang out with Ino, Kiba, and Sakura?” Her eyes widened in curiosity. 

“Yeah...from time to time. I guess he did.” 

“Do you eat lunch with him at school?”

“Not anymore. I eat lunch in the library.”

“Maybe you should eat lunch with him again. I bet he would like that.”

He thought back to Naruto’s words of him confessing being around Ino, Kiba, and Sakura was exhausting, suffocating. Then he thought about what Hinata said last week. He wanted to know what they fought about. 

“Last week...last week you said you and Naruto got into an argument. What was that argument about?” 

Hinata’s eyes widened before they rounded and softened. She looked down and to the side as if remembering. Her face looked pained as if she was remembering something bad. He thought she wasn’t going to tell him. She cleared her throat and told him nonetheless. 

“I told Naruto he needed to make more friends beside Ino, Kiba, and Sakura. I told him he was changing the more time he spent with them. I asked him not to keep shutting everyone else out. He was upset with me and thought I was telling him to stop being friends with them altogether. I was just telling him to make another friend besides them.” 

“Naruto is friends with everyone though.”

“No. He’s friendly with everyone. He only spends his time with them three. He’s only friends with them. He even stopped spending time with me. They all did, and I was excluded and I didn’t understand why.” 

Hinata knew it too. She knew how obsessed they all were with each other. It was unhealthy. He could feel the barrier around Naruto and Sakura, a forcefield he wasn’t able to breach. Her behavior at the volcano park. Feigning sadness and fear and blaming him. It was frightening. He remembered Ino’s icy warning in the Art Museum. Her eyes were vicious and cruel. He remembered Kiba coming on the bus and leaving with Naruto. He tried to understand the expression Kiba wore but he couldn’t put it into words. Was it...resentment? A bitterness? Was this the reason why Kiba trashed his desk? Ino said Sakura wouldn’t be so bold. He agreed. So Kiba was the bold one. Was Kiba punishing him for spending time with Naruto? 

The only wildcard was Ino. She may have been a bystander but she was letting everything happen without saying a word, and she was the one who warned him. 

“Naruto told me he was exhausted being around them all the time.”

“He did?!” Hinata exclaimed. Her face lit up and she smiled as if she was told she won the lottery. “That’s great...he’s finally branching out! I’m so happy!”

“Naruto said he wanted to patch things up with you. He said you were a precious friend.”

“He...did? Really? He isn’t mad at me or anything?” She said and her eyes watered up. 

He shook his head no. She exhaled and leaned back. She wiped away a few tears that escaped her eyes. She was so happy she was...crying? She still couldn’t move around and she remained as stiff as a board yet she felt emotions and didn’t hide from them like he did. She brought a hand to her heart and exhaled. “I’m so relieved.” 

“Why...aren’t you in school?” He asked. He felt envious of Hinata and how genuine and honest she was. Even if he didn’t have any evidence he knew if Hinata returned to the class things might settle down with the trio.

“I can’t return until my neck is healed. It’s too risky. I could easily fall and hurt myself all over again. The doctor says I can return when my neck brace comes off.” 

“So you’re not avoiding school?”

“What? No of course not!”

“I hope you heal quickly and come back to school.”

“Really?” Hinata’s face lit up again. “Thank you...that makes me happy!” 

“Yeah...if you want Naruto to be friends with other people he needs your help. I can’t do it by myself.” 

He heard his mother calling his name. 

“I’ll talk to you next week?” Hinata asked as he stood up to leave. Her voice was upbeat and she was smiling. He turned to look at her. 

“Yeah I’ll be here…bye.”

“Bye, Sasuke!” 

*****

“Ey...what are you doing here? Are you stalking me?” Ino asked sharply. She kept her voice low as they were both in the library. It was during the lunch period. He was getting over the shock of finding her here. 

“What? No. This is where I eat lunch.” He defended. He wasn’t expecting anyone to be here during the lunch hour let alone Ino. She had coincidently been seated in the back of the library where he normally spent time studying. Today he had forgotten his lunch and he had to buy a few pastries from the cafeteria. 

He looked to see Ino had their last history test in front of her. She had received a 37. It was written in red pen. She saw him looking and quickly covered up her test results. There was a mixture of shame and anger outlined on her face. 

“The teacher said if I made corrections during the lunch period he would raise my grade.” She defended. She was a prideful person. It made sense why she was hiding in the back. Nobody rarely walks through the back and it’s a ghost town during the lunch period. 

“If I fail another test my parents are going to pull me from my dance lessons. I can’t let that happen...dancing is everything to me!” Ino continued to defend. Her cheeks burned red. She was looking off to the side as if he was standing over there. 

He didn’t say anything else to Ino and chose another table. He didn’t want Naruto to find him and he was afraid that if he sat in the front of the library Naruto might pop his head in and see him. He remained in the back, hiding, with Ino. 

He opened up his history textbook. He was just going to ignore Ino and study. He read for about ten minutes before he saw Ino turning in her chair. He could feel her eyes staring at him. He looked up. He was right. She was staring at him. There was an intensity in her eyes, no, a need. She wanted something that he had. She wasn’t looking at him per se she was staring at the textbook. 

“Is that...is that the history textbook?” She asked. 

“Yes.”

“Do you mind if I borrow it? I left mine at home. I asked the librarian if they had any extra copies and they don’t.” 

“How were you planning on making corrections without the textbook in the first place?” He inquired.

“I don’t know. I just thought maybe I could come up with different answers and hopefully get a higher grade.” 

He stared at her. He was tempted to tell her no. He wanted to tell her to ask Sakura, or Kiba, or Naruto for their textbook. Even though his brain was telling him to ice her out, ignore her, be cruel. His stomach wasn’t having it. He felt anxious and guilty if he did any of those actions. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. He sighed and gave in. He closed the textbook and handed it to her. She grabbed it as if she was offered a stack of cash and turned around like a gremlin. 

For the remainder of the lunch period she was hunched over re-writing answers on the test. He watched her as he ate the few pastries he bought at the cafeteria. She worked diligently. Dancing must have been very important to her if she was going to hide out in the back of the library making test corrections. 

Ino was still a wildcard. He was the first to leave. She told him she just had a few more answers to write. She said she would give the textbook back. He didn’t care. History was this morning he wouldn’t need it until tomorrow. Ino had been arriving late to class and school more frequently. He knew the teacher would give her detention if she arrived late again. He held his tongue and didn’t say anything to her. It didn’t concern him. 

He sat back at his desk and Naruto was already seated next to him.

“Where do you go during lunch?” Naruto asked. “It’s like you vanish every time. I couldn’t find you.” 

He shrugged. He didn’t answer. Naruto continued. “Are you ignoring me because I beat you at chess?” He flashed a smug smile. “We can always do a rematch. I can come over and we can do a rematch.” 

“No…no.” He stammered. He didn’t want Naruto back in his room. He wasn’t ignoring Naruto because he won at chess. “I go to the library to study. It’s quiet there.” Naruto nodded his head up and down. 

“What are you doing after school today?” Naruto asked.

“I have piano lessons.” 

“What about tomorrow?”

“Cram school.”

“The next day?”

“Cram school.”

“Saturday?”

Naruto was exhausting. He wore people down until they submitted. He thought back to Hinata. 

“Nothing.” He admitted. He couldn’t come up with anything. 

“Let’s do something. You can come over to my house, we can go to the mall...hang out in the park. Play another rematch of chess. Whatever you want. It’ll just be you and me, promise.” 

“Okay.” He answered and covered his hand up with his mouth. He did want to spend a day with just Naruto. 

“Really?” Naruto’s face lit up. He nodded his head in agreement. His hand remained locked around his mouth. “Okay-okay-okay, yes!” 

He agreed because it was just going to be Naruto. He could handle being alone with Naruto. What he couldn’t handle was everyone else hovering around. The teacher had come in and the class began. He noticed Ino wasn’t back yet. She was going to get in trouble. Sure enough fifteen minutes later during the lesson, Ino appeared at the doorway. 

“You’re late.” The teacher spoke without turning his back. “This makes 3 times, Ino which means you have detention.” 

“We already have detention...because of what happened to Sasuke’s desk!”

“You can stay an extra hour to clean the classroom.”

Ino bowed. “I’m sorry. I got caught up studying in the library. Please let me slide this once.”

“Were you really in the library?” The teacher asked and turned to her.

“Yes. Sasuke was there too!” She exclaimed and pointed to Sasuke. She pulled out the history textbook. “He let me borrow his history book...see?” Ino walked across the classroom and handed him back his book. He took it. She pulled him into her mess. 

“I’ll let it slide this time but next time it will be detention.” 

He could feel eyes on him. It felt as if they were lasers pointed at him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The teacher continued the lesson. He saw Naruto fidgeting next to him. 

Naruto leaned over and whispered. “You were in the library with Ino all lunch?”

“Mhm.” 

Naruto didn’t say anything else. He shifted his attention back to the blackboard. He wanted to tell Naruto it wasn’t what he was thinking. Well. He didn’t know what Naruto was thinking. It was a coincidence that Ino was in the library, a coincidence that she needed to borrow a textbook he had with him at the time. He also wanted to let Sakura and Kiba know the truth as well. He figured Ino would fill them in later. She would explain it was all a coincidence. He exhaled and focused back on the lesson. 

*****

“Morning, Sasuke.” Naruto greeted as he sat down at the desk. He stifled a yawn. Naruto was late to class. He would have been late. The teacher was nowhere in sight. He watched as Naruto started getting ready for class. He yawned again this time louder. Naruto had gotten away with being late. He didn’t understand how Naruto was so...lucky. 

“Did you not sleep last night?” He asked.

“I was up all night playing a new video game. I couldn’t complete a mission...I eventually had to give up.” 

The teacher walked in. He was holding a piece of paper. He walked to the front of the classroom. He didn’t greet them good morning. He didn’t say hello. He didn’t even jump into the lesson which he would do if he was running late. He just stared at them and the expression on his face told them they were in trouble, somehow. The teacher looked disappointed. His jaw was firm. His mouth a straight line. His eyebrows furrowed. The creases on the sides of his eyes deepened. The classroom became quiet. Everyone turned and stared at him. A wave of realization that something serious was about to happen. 

“I have in my hand an affidavit.” He spoke and held up the piece of paper. “Who knows what an affidavit is?” 

He knew what it was but it somehow felt like a trick question. A rhetorical question in which he really didn’t want an answer. 

“A written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation to be used as evidence in court.” He answered his own question. “I know this classroom isn’t a court of law, but it’s a court of your peers. So I’m treating it as such.” 

Nobody said anything. Everyone continued to stare. 

“I said I would keep you all after school for one hour every day until someone comes forward. I have a written statement signed by a witness. Following an interview with this witness and two other teachers it was determined this witness was credible, and so Kiba I want you to tell me, and the class, why you did it.” 

Everyone seemed to gasp and turn around to stare at Kiba. He was in the back of the classroom. 

“Who told?” Kiba asked. He stood up. His voice was shaky. He sounded like Caesar who was stabbed. He could feel the betrayal in his voice. Kiba’s eyes immediately bounced off Ino, Sakura, Naruto...and finally landed on him. 

“That wasn’t the question I asked you. Why did you do it?”

“It was just a prank...it wasn’t anything serious.” Kiba tried to mitigate everything.

“Come on I’m bringing you to the principal’s office. We’ll finish our conversation there. While I’m gone I want you all to decide on a fitting consequence for Kiba.” 

He didn’t know why he felt fear. It slinked around him like a python. He struggled to breathe. He didn’t tell the teacher. He didn’t tell. Yet he knew somehow it was going to fall back on him. His heartbeat quickened. It banged in his chest like a gong going off. He didn’t know who told either. He moved his body and shifted his eyes back to the front of the classroom. He panicked. He did it again. He blinked and everyone around him vanished. He couldn’t hear anything. He was alone in the classroom and he used this time to compose himself. It didn’t work. 

He didn’t know who gave a written statement attesting to revealing the culprit but it wasn’t him. 

Naruto turned to him. He reached out and touched his arm forcing him back into reality. 

“Hey...Sasuke...did you tell?”


End file.
